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Appropriations
The Senate Appropriations Committee passed the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill (HR 3293) for FY2010 Appropriations on Thursday, July 30 on a 29-1 vote. The legislation provides $163.1 billion in discretionary funding; $1.6 million more than the President’s request, $3.2 billion over FY2009 levels and $2.1 billion more than the version passed by the House on July 24. The legislation largely mirrors the House version, but is less generous to programs receiving federal stimulus funds, such as special-education programs, the Pell Grant program and the National Institutes of Health.
The bill allocates $2.97 billion for State grants for job training, matching the President’s budget request and $1.7 billion for Job Corps, exceeding the President’s request by $9.7 million. The bill also provides $105 million for YouthBuild, $40 million for the Transitional Jobs program and another $40 million for the Green Jobs Innovation Fund.
The legislation includes $1.157 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service, $217 million for nursing education including $5.2 million for a new nurse education program focusing on home health aides and nursing home aides, $700 million for school renovation and $50 million for dropout prevention.
According to Senate Appropriations staff, the bill will not be considered on the Senate floor before the August recess starts on August 10.
Click here to view the Labor-HHS Senate Appropriations Summary Press Release.
The House-approved Labor-HHS Appropriations bill, which passed on July 24, provides $160.7 billion for FY 2010, which is $52 million below the President’s request. The bill essentially level funds workforce programs and provides $135 million for a Career Pathways Innovation Fund, of which at least $65 million will support competitive grants to community colleges and partnerships with local adult education to train nurses, medical technicians and others for skilled jobs in the health industries; $100 million for YouthBuild; $45 million to prepare workers for careers in emerging “green” industries; $50 million for a new research-proven Transitional Jobs employment strategy to help hard-to-employ non-custodial parents and ex-offenders enter the workforce; and $615 million for community service jobs.
Miller Files Official Report on Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (HR 3221)
On July 27, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (CA) filed an official report on the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (HR 3221). The report includes a summary of key sections, legislative language for HR 3221, an overview of roll call votes, both Democrats’ and Republicans’ positions on the bill and the Congressional Budget Office cost estimate. The cost estimate has been the primary source of debate among both Democrat and Republican lawmakers. At this time, it is uncertain whether the legislation will reach the House floor before the start of the August recess on August 10.
Click here to access the official report.
Conference Call with U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Hilda Solis and Assistant Secretary Jane Oates on Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Reauthorization and Other Concerns Regarding DOL Programs
On Wednesday, August 26, 2009, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran will host a conference call with mayors, Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Hilda Solis and Assistant Secretary Jane Oates, to discuss their concerns regarding reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and any other issues regarding DOL programs.
With the nation’s unemployment rate at 9.7%, we are at a critical juncture in reauthorizing this crucial job training legislation and we need your help in securing mayors for the call. Please make sure to get this conference call on your mayor’s schedule and to brief him/her on the critical issues of importance to the local workforce system. We will be providing you with an updated version of the WDC Policy Paper on WIA Reauthorization, along with a side-by-side chart for mayors, to use as you help prepare your mayors for the call.
Conference call information is as follows:
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 (Eastern)
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Number: 1 (800) 569-1949
Password: 535498#
Please contact Juliette Jardim on my staff at 202-861-6715 or jjardim@usmayors.org to RSVP your mayor for the call.
INVITE YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES TO
VISIT YOUR ONE-STOPS
Members of Congress will soon be breaking for the August recess and this is the time to meet with them and get them into your One-Stop Centers! You should contact your congressional delegation’s district office immediately to schedule a visit as their summer recess schedule fills fast. It is critical for your Senators and Representatives to see first-hand the value of
the investment they have made on behalf of the local workforce system, particularly with regard to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Please keep us updated on your congressional delegation outreach during August recess by emailing mgrothus@usmayors.org.
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