Chao's testimony earns Senate Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee members acrimony once again

Secretary Chao appeared before the Senate Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee yesterday in support of her FY 2009 budget request. Secretary Chao argued vociferously against the newly released IG and GAO reports criticizing over $250 million in sole source grants overseen by the Secretary under the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative. The reports focused on the lack of evaluation and poor follow up by DOL in the administration of these grants. Are you operating a High Growth Job Training? We would like to know about your progress. Why not post a comment?

McKeon continues to press WIA reauthorization

House Education and Labor Ranking Member Buck McKeon told NWA that he continues to press WIA reauthorization with his Democratic counterparts on the Education and Labor Committee in just the past couple of weeks. He also released a press release Friday when the April unemployment numbers were released, encouraging Democrats to move on reauthorization to help improve the employment situation.

McKeon also indicated he and Senate Ranking Member Mike Enzi were encouraging Senate HELP Chairman Ted Kennedy once again to move WIA. However, it does not appear that reauthorization is on the House agenda at the moment, as Committee staff have been meeting with interest groups to discuss key items for a more comprehensive reauthorization in 2009. Why not ask your Member of Congress to support Mr. McKeon when you see them at your One-Stop Visit!

National One-Stop Month - A Must for each Workforce Area

There are many challenges facing the workforce investment system in the upcoming year with reauthorization and financial crisis looming. One of the biggest is establishing the workforce investment system’s identity and value with our congressional leaders. We believe the best way to do this is to have Congressional Members visit your local One Stop Centers. There is a tremendous impact when a member can see for himself or herself the wonderful service a One Stop provides to the citizens and businesses in their community.

A good time to hold these visits is during the “Congressional District Work Period” starts May 23, until June 3, 2008, when the members are back in their districts. The National Workforce Association (NWA) has compiled this guide with information about contacting Congressional members, as well as information from presentations by media and lobbying experts. Also included in this guide is useful information from other local workforce areas in Texas, New York and Florida, who talk about how they sponsored successful Congressional visits in the past. These are suggestions only, but we believe with good planning and preparation, you can host a highly successful visit with your Congressional Members. Be sure to let us know how your event goes. For help call us at (202) 842-4004 or e-mail info@nwaonline.org.

Cantwell/Collins WIA Dear Colleague

Senators Maria Cantwell and Susan Collins submitted a WIA dear colleague letter on Friday, April 4 to the Labor-HHS Appropriations subcommittee, requesting a rejection of the Administration's proposed funding cuts to WIA and the Employment Service and a restoration of funding back current levels at a minimum. Our partner organization, USA Works! took the lead in and working with Senator Cantwell to craft this letter and coordinate the other Washington groups focused on WIA programs to garner as many signatures as possible in the Senate. NWA worked closely with USA Works in this endeavor. We are pleased to report that 37 Senators signed on to the WIA dear colleague letter, an excellent showing of support for the workforce system. Please remember to thank your Senator for signing and sending his or her letter in support of the workforce system.

DOL Allotment TEGL 23-07

Allotment TEGL 23-07 was released by U.S. DOL-ETA earlier today and is now available online at the following link: DOL Allotment

Also please click here (DOL Down Load) to access and download WORD maps which depict the allotment by major funding streams.

Please remember that NWA would like to hear from you about how this TEGL will effect your local operations.

NWA Asked to Help with Cantwell Collins Letter

NWA Needs your help!

There are two ways in which you can be helpful. First, the Cantwell/Collins WIA Dear Colleague letter will be circulated shortly and we will send a copy to you. We will need your help to secure your state's Senators signatures due by the first week of April.

Second, please send the letter at this link to your House Member this week, requesting him or her include WIA funding in their FY 09 "program letter" to the Appropriations Committee. Each Member of Congress submits a program letter to the Committee (Members letters are due to the Appropriations Committee by March 19th) outlining their funding priorities for the upcoming year. The program letters are important tools that Committee Members use to judge the support a program has in Congress. These letters can lead to increased funding if strongly supported. Up until this year, WIA has had few mentions in Members program letters and we are seeking to increase this level of support.

Labor – HHS Appropriations

We anticipate that the Appropriations Committees will move the Labor-HHS bill and other Appropriations bills through committee this year, with little chance of final passage for non-defense related bills until after President Bush leaves office in January. Senior Appropriators told us this past week that they expect to have a continuing resolution in place through February of 2009.

Labor Secretary Elaine Chao testified before the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee this past week, defending her proposed budget request that reduces funding for WIA by $500 million this year along with the elimination of the $700 million Employment Service. Chao argued that participants receiving services from Employment Service (ES) could easily be assisted through the One Stop system. However, several Democrats questioned her notion that money for ES could be eliminated along with large cuts to WIA without dramatically impacting service delivery efforts to program participants.

Labor-HHS Appropriations

Key Democratic leadership officials met with USA Works! this past week and outlined their FY 09 agenda, which will be very limited agenda on the appropriations front this year. Appropriators have no intention to allow President Bush to veto their spending bills once again. The plan at this juncture is to only allow defense related bills to be passed before the election, with a continuing resolution through February for the rest of government. The remaining bills under this plan will be resolved under a new President, presumably a Democrat.

The remaining appropriations bills, including Labor – HHS, are expected to move through Committee, but are unlikely to receive floor time this year. While the bills will not be completed this calendar year, markups of the bill will occur in Committee and we will continue to press funding for WIA.

There are two ways in which you can be helpful. First, the Cantwell/Collins WIA Dear Colleague letter will be circulated shortly and we will send a copy to you. We will need your help to secure your state’s Senators signatures due by the first week of April.

USA Works has asked all local Workforce Board's to send the a letter to all House Members, requesting him or her include WIA funding in their FY 09 “program letter” to the Appropriations Committee. Each Member of Congress often submits a program letter to the Committee. Members letters are due to the Appropriations Committee by March 19^{th ...} outlining their funding priorities for the upcoming year. The program letters are important tools that Committee Member use to judge the amount of support any program has in Congress. These letters can lead to increased funding if strongly supported. Up until this year, WIA has had few mentions in Members program letters and NWA and USA Works are seeking to increase this level of support. Please act today.

BUDGET COMMITTEES MARKING UP AND PROTECTING WIA

FY 09 House and Senate Budget Resolutions

The House and Senate Budget Committees mark up their FY 09 budget resolutions today. Both the House and Senate budget resolutions proposed significant increases in domestic discretionary spending above the President's request. Senate budget resolution includes $18 billion more for domestic discretionary spending in the President's budget. The House budget resolution requests $25 billion more than the President's budget domestic spending. The Democrats additional funding for domestic programs has already resulted in a veto threat from the Administration, which is unprecedented at this stage in the process.

USAWorks has been working with senior Budget Committee members in both the House and the Senate on behalf of the WIA funding and reports good news for WIA. While the details of the budget resolutions are not yet public, we are told that there will be a significant increase in the Senate budget resolution for WIA, as much as from $390 million above current levels. Senator Patty Murray has championed this effort on behalf of WIA funding and spoke passionately in the Committee markup today about the need to restore WIA's funding, indicating that we could face as many as 1.7 million job losses this year. On the House side, Chairman Spratt has ensured that current services levels for Function 500 (which includes WIA) will be included in the House budget resolution.

The resolutions are expected to reach the floor next week in both the House and Senate and conference negotiations to begin at the staff level over the Easter recess, which begins the following week.