Washington Update

Higher Education Act Signed Into Law

On August 14th President Bush signed H.R. 4137, the "Higher Education Opportunity Act," which reauthorizes and makes changes to higher education programs. The bill includes provisions that simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process, require institutions and lenders to adopt strict codes of conduct, increase college aid and support for veterans and military families, and expand Pell Grants.

INVITE YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES TO VISIT YOUR ONE-STOPS

Members of Congress will be returning to their districts for an extended summer recess until September 8th. This provides an excellent opportunity for you to invite members of Congress to your One-Stops to show them first-hand the value of the investment they have made in the local workforce system and make the case for continued support when they return in the fall.

Please discuss the following with your members:

• Congress will likely pass a Continuing Resolution in September to fund the government through the beginning of 2009. While it is disappointing that Congress was unable to complete its House Labor-HHS markup, we are pleased that both the House and Senate bills provide an increase over last year's overall funding levels and that there was no attempt to use WIA as an offset for other funding increases. Please ask your members of Congress to support the increased funding for WIA programs in the upcoming Continuing Resolution or in any final Labor-HHS appropriations taken up next year.

• Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd’s press release detailing the Senate’s second stimulus package includes $250 million for Dislocated Worker employment and training and $250 million for Youth employment and training activities. Please ask your Senators to support this funding in a second stimulus package.

Reports, Announcements, and Articles

New from MDRC

The 12th Anniversary of Welfare Reform: What Do We Know About Time Limits?

This month marks the 12th anniversary of the federal welfare reform law, a turning point in the political debate about shifting public assistance toward a system of temporary support with a focus on moving recipients into work. One of the most controversial features of the law was the imposition of time limits on benefit receipt. What have we learned about the effects of time limits since then?
http://www.mdrc.org/area_issue_28.html

ETA Releases

• HHS/ACF Publishes Invitation for Public Comment on the State Plan for the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF); Comments Due to OMB by September 21
  August 21, 2008

• Department Online Resource to Assist Employers in Their Employment of Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  August 20, 2008

• Career Ladder/Lattice Tool Now Available for Workforce Community Use on WWW.CAREERONESTOP.ORG/COMPETENCYMODEL.
  August 19, 2008

• The National Parent and Teacher Association's (PTA) Career Planning Toolkit
  August 18, 2008

• Department Requests Comments on Proposed Rules for Priority of Service for Veterans
  August 18, 2008

Upcoming Meetings

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!!

WDC 20TH ANNUAL CONGRESSIONAL FORUM
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

WDC Board Meeting/Peer-to-Peer Best Practices Session
Monday, September 22, 2008

Please register to attend the 20th Annual Congressional Forum of The U.S. Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council (WDC) on Tuesday, September 23, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the St. Gregory Hotel & Suites, 2033 M Street, NW in Washington, DC 20036. We will be holding the first portion of the Forum with members of Congress and Congressional Staff.

Click here for an updated draft agenda.

Prior to the Congressional Forum, the WDC Board meeting, as well as a peer-to-peer best practices exchange on a variety of topics, will be held on Monday, September 22 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Please share this invitation with colleagues you think would be interested in participating in a national networking opportunity in Washington, DC. Click here for a description of the Congressional Forum for you to disseminate.

You may now register online at http://usmayors.org/2008CongressionalForum.

If you prefer, you may complete the registration form manually. To access the registration and hotel reservation form click here and fax it to our meeting department at (202) 467-4276.

Room reservations must be made by calling the hotel directly. Please identify yourself as an attendee of The U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting to ensure the group rate. The deadline for hotel discount rate is August 20, 2008.

Your involvement in the Workforce Development Council is a great asset to workforce development across the country. We look forward to your participation in the Congressional Forum.