Workforce Bulletin - December 20, 2013
This edition of Workforce Bulletin contains articles including:
House and Senate Pass Two-Year Budget Agreement, Sequestration Relief Provided
House and Senate budget negotiators reached a two-year budget agreement on Tuesday, December 10, 2013, to set overall discretionary spending levels for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 and FY 2015. Establishing overall funding levels will enable the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations to begin work on a final FY 2014 appropriations package.
EUC Set to Expire on December 28th
The Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program will expire on December 28th, as efforts by members of the House Minority and Senate Majority to include an extension of the program in a series of year end legislative measures were unsuccessful.
Save the Date: 2014 NASWA Winter Policy Forum February 20-21, 2014!
Save the date to attend NASWA’s 2014 Winter Policy Forum held in Washington, D.C., February 20-21, 2014! NASWA’s annual Winter Policy Forum serves as the premier NASWA event for state workforce agency administrators and other workforce agency professionals to hear from and discuss current economic conditions in the U.S. with national experts in the field and also learn about the legislative outlook on a variety of workforce system issues in front of Congress.
ITSC Steering Committee Meets in Washington, D.C.
NASWA’s Information Technology Support Center (ITSC) Steering Committee last week held its quarterly meeting on December 5-6th in Washington, D.C. The Committee, chaired by Laura Boyett, Director, Bureau of Unemployment Compensation, Maine Department of Labor, welcomed Lisa Marsh, Director of Information Technology and Business Integration, Washington State Employment Security Department, as the newest state workforce agency representative to join the Committee.
Reemployment Connections Institute Wraps up Final Week of Trainings
Last week, the Reemployment Connections Virtual Institute completed its second week of training and education on the Reemployment Connections initiative. Six new states (CA, IL, KS, KY, IA and GA) were selected in October by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) to expand on the Reemployment Connections initiative, building on the foundational work of the original Unemployment Insurance (UI)/ Workforce Connectivity Pilot Project started in 2011 by ITSC and the original Connectivity Pilot Project states (NY, MS, OR, ID and MN).
ETA Releases Report on Workforce System Priority of Service Requirements
The U.S Department of Labor (USDOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) on Wednesday, December 18th, released a report providing an analysis of the Priority of Service (POS) provision of the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002 (JVA), which ensures veterans and eligible spouses are served first in the receipt of employment, training, and placement services.
Obama Administration Nominates Portia Wu for ETA Assistant Secretary
On Thursday, December 12th, President Obama announced his nomination of Portia Y. Wu for U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) Assistant Secretary. The nomination comes as former ETA Assistant Secretary Jane Oates left her position earlier in 2013 and was replaced by acting ETA Assistant Secretary Eric Seleznow.
DC Department of Employment Services Director Mallory to Depart from Agency
District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES) Director Lisa Mallory announced last week that she will be leaving her post in early January. She will become the new chief executive of the D.C. Building Industry Association, a real-estate development trade group in Washington, D.C.
McKenna named Director of Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations
On Friday, December 13th Missouri Governor Jay Nixon appointed Missouri State Senator Ryan McKenna as the new Director of the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. McKenna started his new position this week on Wednesday, December 18th.
Hultman named Secretary of South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation
On Friday, December 6th South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard appointed Marcia Hultman to serve as Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation. Hultman has served as the interim secretary since former South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation Secretary Pam Roberts retired in October.
Planning a Trip to Capitol Hill to Visit Congressional Staff? NASWA Membership has its Advantages
Through an agreement recently signed with The Liaison Capitol Hill, NASWA is pleased to announce it is able to make hotel rooms at the prevailing government per diem room rate available to state workforce agency administrators and their staff planning on visiting the Washington, D.C. Capitol Hill area.
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