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Washington Update
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Obama Releases FY10 Budget Proposal
President Barack Obama released his $3.7 trillion budget proposal for FY10 on Thursday May 7th. The President’s Budget for the Department of Labor (DOL) calls for $3.83 billion in funding for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs – a $200 million increase over FY 2009 funding levels. WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth formula funding streams remain essentially level funded from FY09.
Highlights of the budget include:
- $861.5 million for Adult Training
- $1.413 billion for Dislocated Workers Employment and Training Activities
- $924 million for WIA Youth Activities (no increase over FY 2009)
- $114 million for YouthBuild ($44 million increase over FY 2009)
- $115 million for ex-offender activities, of which $88.5 million shall be for youthful offender activities ($7 million increase over FY 2009)
- $135 million for a Career Pathways Innovation fund (new in FY 2010)
- $15 million for a Workforce Data Quality Initiative (new in FY 2010)
To review a Budget and Appropriations comparison chart of Job Training Funding click here.
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Agreement Modifications
On April 29, 2009, the Secretary of Labor sent a letter to governors outlining the need to modify existing agreements between states and the Department of Labor to include new requirements for TAA agreements imposed by the Trade and Globalization Adjustment Assistance Act of 2009 (TGAAA), which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Among the major changes to the agreement required by the TGAAA are the following provisions:
- A requirement to provide employment and case management services to TAA-certified workers;
- A requirement to review each waiver of the training requirement as a condition on income support three months after issuance and on a monthly basis thereafter, except for waivers based on retirement;
- A requirement to provide the Secretary, in a timely and accurate manner, with all data necessary to meet the requirements of the Act, including currently required quarterly reports;
- A requirement to implement effective control measures to ensure the accuracy and verifiability of such data and to effectively oversee the operation and administration of the TAA program; and
- A requirement to verify the satisfactory immigration status of workers applying for TAA who are not United States citizens or nationals.
Newly added language in the modified agreement urges the states to apply state merit standards to the selection and employment of all new staff funded by TAA and advises states that the Department will soon begin rulemaking on the use of merit standards in state administration of the TAA program. All interested parties will have the opportunity to provide comments on all proposals through the rulemaking process.
Obama Administration Encourages Increased Use of One-Stop Career Centers
On Friday, May 8, President Obama announced that he is taking new steps to help unemployed workers access education and training opportunities to upgrade their skills by:
- Encouraging schools and colleges to adjust Pell Grant and other financial aid packages to take into account unemployed workers’ current circumstances, and
- Encouraging States to broaden the scope of education and training programs in which unemployed workers can participate and continue to receive unemployment benefits.
The Department of Labor will be issuing guidance to state workforce agencies asking them to notify UI beneficiaries of their potential eligibility for Pell Grants and other student aid, encouraging them to make it easier for UI beneficiaries to participate in training/education programs, and encouraging them to assist unemployed workers find training and apply for financial aid through One Stop Career Centers. Approximately 9 million letters will be sent out to UI claimants shortly recommending that they visit their One-Stop Career Centers to evaluate their reemployment and/or education options.
The Department of Education will be ensuring that financial aid administrators are aware of the discretion available to them in determining if UI beneficiaries are eligible for Pell Grants and other financial aid.
Unemployment Rate Reaches New High
On May 8, the Department of Labor (DOL) reported the April unemployment rate at 8.9%, reaching a 25-year high. On a positive note, DOL reported a decrease in the number of jobs lost. Employers cut 539,000 jobs in April, down from 699,000 jobs lost in March, and the lowest since October 2008. Still, one in six members of the workforce are either unemployed, working part-time and would prefer to be working full-time, or have given up looking for work.
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Upcoming Meetings
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Workforce Development Council (WDC) Annual Meeting at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 77th Annual Conference
Providence, RI
June 12-13, 2009
Register now for the WDC Board meeting in Providence! The WDC Board meeting will be held at the Westin Providence Hotel from June 12-13, 2009, as part of The U.S. Conference of Mayors 77th Annual Conference. All WDC members are welcome to attend!
Attached is a draft agenda for your information. To access the WDC updated draft agenda click here 05/07/09.
You may now register and request hotel accommodations online at http://usmayors.org/registration/. Please scroll down the screen to select the Workforce Development Council link to access the WDC registration form.
Be sure to have a method of payment ready for the hotel reservation when you register online. You must complete both forms at the same time. Once the registration is submitted, the online system does not accept revisions.
If you prefer, you can still complete your registration form manually. To access the registration and hotel reservation forms please click here. Please complete the form and fax it to our meetings department at (202) 467-4276. The deadline for guaranteed hotel accommodations was May 5, 2009.
Mayors will meet on June 12-16, 2009. Below are links containing Tom Cochran’s memo to member mayors on the resolutions submission deadline, the resolution procedures and the mayors draft agenda for your information.
Click here to access the memo.
Click here to access the procedures.
Click here to access the mayors updated draft agenda.
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Reports, Announcements, and Articles
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DOL- ETA Upcoming Forums
Register now for one of ETA’s timely and convenient Regional Recovery and Reemployment Forums, to be held between now and mid-June! You will:
- Learn the latest on the ARRA;
- Take away valuable ideas for enhancements to critical reemployment services;
- Hear about the latest in Green Jobs, services for youth, and more;
- Participate in state planning efforts focused on recovery and reemployment; and
- Continue the work of the Reemployment Works! Summit, held in Baltimore in January 2009, and the nationwide representatives of the Reemployment Architects and Designers.
Who should attend:
- Unemployment Insurance directors and staff
- State Workforce Agency directors and staff
- Rapid Response coordinators
- State and local Workforce Investment Board directors and staff
- One-Stop Career Center managers and staff
- Workforce Information directors and staff
- Community college workforce representatives
- Representatives of Community-Based and High-Growth Job Training grantees
- Registered Apprenticeship program representatives
- ES, Trade, and WIA operational and policy experts
For agenda, registration and housing information, please visit http://reemploymentworks.workforce3one.org/page/forums.
Continue the conversations before, during, and after the Forums with:
- Idea sharing and dialogue through ETA’s new, on-line Communities of Practice. Ongoing resource sharing, blogs, discussions focusing on seven reemployment topics are being launched.
- Access to materials from any of the forums, as well as other resources on reemployment, Green Jobs, and related topics.
For information on Communities of Practice, please visit Communities of Practice.
See below for the Recovery and Reemployment Forum schedule. For information and registration, go to http://reemploymentworks.workforce3one.org/page/forums.
Region 2
May 12-14, 2009
Baltimore, MD
Region 3
May 27-29, 2009
Atlanta, GA
Region 6
June 10-11, 2009
San Francisco, CA
New from W.E. UPJOHN INSTITUTE
Counting Working-Age People with Disabilities: What Current Data Tell Us and Options for Improvement
By Andrew J. Houtenville, David C. Stapleton, Robert R. Weathers II, and Richard V. Burkhauser, Editors
Counting Working-Age People with Disabilities: What Current Data Tell Us and Options for Improvement offers a systemic review of what current statistics and data on working-age people with disabilities can and cannot tell, and how the quality of the data can be improved. To request a review copy of this book, please contact Richard Wyrwa at: Phone 269-343-5541, Fax 269-343-7310, and wyrwa@upjohninstitute.org.
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ETA Releases
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