Last year, the House and Senate authorizing committees approved competing WIA reauthorization bills, which ultimately collapsed due to a provision in the House bill allowing faith-based providers to discriminate in hiring based on religion. Legislation to reauthorize WIA has not been introduced in either the House or Senate and the issue is not expected to receive significant attention until the committees have acted on HEA.
Senate staff has begun working on the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act. Democratic Legislative Counsel has begun revising H.R. 27, which was the version of the bill that was passed during the last Congress by both the House and the Senate. It is expected that the Democrats will give the bill to Republican staff before they formally introduce it, which is not expected until late fall, if at all.
Finding time for reauthorization debate on the Senate floor and bringing it to a vote will be difficult amid a very busy legislative agenda. House Democrats have indicated that they will use this revised version of H.R. 27 as the framework for their reauthorization efforts as well, which would help streamline efforts to bring the two chambers of Congress into concordance. Although H.R. 27 will provide a base for reauthorization efforts, separate legislation will likely be introduced as each chamber moves forward.
Under H.R. 27, both state and local workforce investment boards must ensure that one-stop centers deliver skills and cater to the employment demands in the local area. This “demand driven” policy would allow training for incumbent workers so that employers are able to upgrade the skills of their current workers, and also encourage training providers, including community colleges, to offer training through the one-stop system. The infrastructure funding system was not changed, which allows for a percentage of Perkins funding to be redirected to support one-stop administration and management.
The current law, which provides funding for both in-school and out-of-school youth, is amended to provide funds to go through a state formula program designed to focus on services that meet the needs the hardest to serve out of school youth.
On Thursday, June 28th, the House Education and Labor Committee held its first hearing in a series on the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), “Recommendations to Improve the Effectiveness of Job Training.” Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness Chairman Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) was joined by fellow Democrats John Tierney (MA), John Yarmuth (KY), and Bobby Scott (VA), and Ranking Member Ric Keller (R-FL) and, briefly, Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA).
The panelists included:
• Dr. Sigurd Nilsen, Director, Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues Government Accountability Office (GAO);
• Dr. Rachel Gragg, Federal Policy Director, The Workforce Alliance;
• Ms. Evelyn Ganzglass, Director, Workforce Development Center for Law and Social Policy;
• Dr. Sandra Baxter, Director, National Institute for Literacy;
• Mr. Wes Jurey, President and CEO, Arlington Texas Chamber of Commerce;
• Mr. Bruce Ferguson, Jr., President and CEO, Worksource.
The entire panel endorsed the critical role of the law’s training services in the emerging global economy, but recognized that the law required improvement. Three corrective themes were common. First, and possibly most important, the reauthorized law must have data that are more accurate about the enrolled job seekers. As stated by Mr. Nilsen and detailed in the June 28 GAO report, entitled “Workforce Investment Act: Additional Actions Would Further Improve the System:”
We have little information at a national level about what the workforce investment system under WIA achieves. Outcome data does not provide a complete picture of WIA services.”
Second, there should be less focus on infrastructure funding and more on training, and the law should provide more flexibility regarding the sequence of training and the ability to target funds on programs that are specific to particular regional industry needs. Third, WIA’s funding should be simplified and more flexible in order to create more innovative practices and to promote the sharing of successful practices among the training centers.
On Thursday, July 26, the subcommittee held a hearing on reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which consolidates, coordinates, and improves employment, training, literacy, and vocational rehabilitation programs. The subcommittee focused on workforce development systems, though no specific legislation is pending, and the committee has not scheduled any markups. Although no time table is currently set, committee staff have confirmed that no legislation will hit the floor until later this fall, if at all.
Witnesses at the hearing included:
• Beth Butler - disability and accommodations consultant, Wachovia Corp., Charlotte, NC;
• John Twomey - Executive Director, New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals, representing National Workforce Association;
• Mason A. Petit - Washington State Employment Security, representing American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, Spokane, WA;
• Charles Ware - Chairman, National Association of State Workforce Board Chairs , representing National Governors Association , Cheyenne, WY;
• Joe Carbone - Director, Workplace Inc., Bridgeport, CT; and
• Kathleen Randolph - President, Partners for Workforce Solutions Inc.
Discussion was relatively short, but focused on ways to increase services available at the one-stop career centers. John Twomey made a point to mention that one-stops are reducing duplication and increasing cost efficiency of the Federal workforce investment and partner programs. Twomey recommended that one-stops be authorized in a separate, new title of WIA, to reinforce the fact that one-stops are the primary infrastructure through which to access services in a comprehensive workforce investment system. As is the case in nearly every other reauthorization debate, all panelists agreed that additional funding for various WIA programs is necessary.
Although holding two WIA hearings in less than a month seems encouraging, reauthorization is still not a guarantee for this year. To date, the Senate has not moved forward with any preliminary hearings, and the House has only just begun consideration. Meanwhile, both chambers are engrossed in higher education reconciliation and reauthorization programs, twelve appropriation bills for fiscal year 2008 (FY08), and behind the scenes talks on reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Another barrier is the month-long August recess. When Congress comes back in September, both chambers will have less than a month to deal with all twelve appropriations bills for FY08. This packed schedule does not leave much time for working on the long overdue WIA reauthorization.
Authors: DAD, SAS
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