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Republican-Controlled House Education and the Workforce Committee Proposes Drastic Changes to Federal Workforce Programs
The House Education and the Workforce Committee introduced two partisan bills on December 8, 2011 that would make major changes to the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). WIA is the law that authorizes key federal job training programs for disadvantaged adults, youth, dislocated workers, older workers, among others. The Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act (H.R. 3610), introduced by Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC), would consolidate (eliminate) 33 of 47 programs into four funding streams. Included among programs eliminated are: Job Corps, SNAP E&T (food stamp employment and training program), and the Senior Community Service Employment Program that serves low income older workers. The bill would also allow local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) to compete with nonprofits for youth service and training funds. Another bill, The Local Job Opportunities and Business Success Act (H.R. 3611), introduced by Representative Joe Heck (R-NV), would severely limit the inclusion of community based organizations’ participation on local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs). Taken together, these bills would severely negatively impact access to job training funds by community based organizations in minority communities and access to services by those most in need! Stay tuned for further National Urban League analysis of these bills.
