12.18.06 - Incoming Democratic Chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, David Obey and Robert Byrd, dropped a bombshell this week. They indicated that when Democrats take control of Congress next month they will not try to resolve the unfinished appropriations bills and instead will pass a year long Continuing Resolution (CR) that will fund programs at their current FY 06 levels through September 30th. The current CR runs through February 15th.

Democrats felt that they did not want to waste momentum trying to clean up the mess left by the Republicans. Instead they will focus on their own legislative agenda, which they believe was crucial to assuming the leadership in Congress for the upcoming term. Nine of eleven appropriations bills remained unfinished when Congress adjourned last week, including Labor- HHS. No earmarks will be included in the Continuing Resolution.

Overall, the year long CR is very good news for the workforce system, as Appropriators told us that the funding levels in the Labor-HHS bill were unworkable and would have required severe cuts in order to be implemented. A WIA rescission was very much on the table under that scenario.

The year long CR means FY 06 funding levels will continue for another year and the threat of a WIA rescission has been removed. It also ensures that the riders we worked to insert in FY 06 to protect the local workforce system, preventing states from redesignating local areas and blocking DOL from changing the definition of administrative costs, will continue for another year.

Key Democrats, including incoming Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt, have told us that the priorities in the budget for the upcoming year will look very different under Democratic leadership. Democrats will place a much higher priority (and more funding) on domestic programs. While this will not necessarily mean large funding increases for WIA, we can expect funding to be stabilized, allowing the workforce system to assist workers without the constant fear that the large budget cuts the Administration has proposed over the past several years will be enacted.

The prospects for WIA reauthorization also appear a bit brighter at this juncture. Key Authorizing Committee staff have indicated that WIA reauthorization will be on their early 2007 agenda, with the hope that bills could move out of Committee in both chambers in the spring. Senate authorizers have told us they will work on a bipartisan basis using their last reauthorization bill as the basis to craft a new bill, while House Democrats have indicated that they would like to craft a new reauthorization bill.

OLYMPIA -- 12.14.06 – Job seekers and employers across the state will soon have new computers, software and other tools available to them at WorkSource offices across Washington, thanks to a $1.2 million grant from the Employment Security Department.

“These grants are part of our effort to support Washington’s economic competitiveness,” said Karen Lee, commissioner of the Employment Security Department. “One of our top priorities is to get unemployed workers into jobs as quickly as possible. Replacing clunky, outdated equipment with modern technology can speed up the job-search process, and that’s good for both business and workers.”

The department will distribute $100,000 grants to each of the state’s 12 workforce development councils. The money was provided to the state through the federal Workforce Investment Act and must be used to enhance local service capacity, technology and/or facilities at local WorkSource offices.

“These funds are an important asset to the communities we serve,” said Steve Frazier, director of the Olympic Consortium Workforce Development Council, based in Bremerton. “Much like our schools, the resources will be used to renovate facilities, upgrade technology and implement strategies to help job seekers and businesses succeed.”

WorkSource is a partnership of business, government agencies, colleges and non-profit organizations that offer employment and training services for job seekers and business. Last year, WorkSource assisted nearly 24,000 businesses and placed more the 330,000 people in jobs.

For additional information on WorkSource or to find a local office, visit www.go2worksource.com. 2006 WorkSource system enhancement grants - $100,000 each

12.07.06 - The number of U.S. workers seeking first-time jobless claims plunged last week, as expected, after surging the prior week during the start of the holiday season, a government report showed on Thursday.

First-time initial claims fell by 34,000 to a seasonally adjusted 324,000 in the week ended December 2, down from a revised 358,000 in the previous week, the Labor Department said.

The decline was in line with Wall Street economists who had forecast they would fall to 325,000 from the originally reported 357,000 for the week ended November 25.

The weekly report is typically volatile during this time of year, a Labor Department official said, adding that there were no special factors leading to the decline. Reuters Pictures Photo Editors Choice: Best pictures from the last 24 hours.

Still, the four-week moving average, a better gauge of labor trends because it irons out weekly fluctuations, hit its highest level since May. It moved up to 328,750 from 325,250 in the prior week, for the sixth straight weekly gain.

The number of people who remained on the benefit rolls after drawing an initial week of aid rose 57,000 to 2.52 million in the week ended November 25, the latest week for which these figures were available.

OLYMPIA – Washington’s unemployment rate plunged one-half of a percentage point in October, aided by the addition of 10,700 new jobs, according to the Employment Security Department.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.8 percent in October, down from 5.3 percent in September. “This good news shows that Washington really is open for business and that both workers and businesses are benefiting from our strong economy,” said Governor Chris Gregoire.

Manufacturing saw strong growth, with 2,300 new jobs over the month. Among service-related industries, the largest gains were in retail trade, with 2,200 new jobs; leisure and hospitality, 2,100 jobs; and professional and business service, 1,300 jobs. Construction added 1,500 jobs over the month. There were no notable employment declines in any major industry sectors.

Washington’s unemployment rate for the first 10 months of 2006 was 4.9 percent, which is the lowest annual average rate in the state since 1999. “It is great news that we keep adding and filling new jobs,” said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee. “The opportunities continue to widen, and it’s bringing greater economic stability to our state.”

On a yearly comparison, more than 101,000 net new jobs were created in Washington from October 2005 to October 2006. Since October 2005, non-farm job growth in the state was 3.6 percent, compared to a national rate of 1.5 percent over the year.

Currently, there are an estimated 140,600 people who are unemployed and seeking work in Washington. Lee said she encourages job seekers to visit a local WorkSource office and to check online job listings at www.go2worksource.com.

The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to its lowest in nearly 5-1/2 years during October as 92,000 more jobs were added and hiring in each of the two prior months was revised up, a government report on Friday showed.

The October new-jobs figure was below Wall Street economists' expectations for 125,000 but the Labor Department said a total 139,000 more jobs were created in August and September than it had previously thought. It revised up September's job-creation total to 148,000, or nearly three times the 51,000 it reported a month ago, and said there were 230,000 new jobs in August instead of 188,000.

The unemployment rate fell in October to 4.4 percent from 4.6 percent in September. It was the lowest unemployment rate since 4.3 percent in May 2001 and was likely to fan concerns that labor markets are growing tight and could contribute to inflation pressures.

Average hourly earnings rose 0.4 percent to $16.91 - higher than the 0.3 percent that analysts had anticipated - while the average work week edged up to 33.9 hours from 33.8. Over the year, average hourly earnings have risen by 3.9 percent, the department said.

Most of the new hiring in October was in service industries, where 152,000 new jobs were created, while goods-producing industries shed 60,000 jobs.

OLYMPIA – Thanks to a new online tool developed by the state Employment Security Department, young people may find it easier to answer the much-dreaded question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

The tool is called “Career Clusters” and is structured like the U.S. Department of Education program of the same name.

Born out of discussions with teachers and career specialists throughout the state, the Employment Security program uses information about recent job openings to illustrate the many types of occupations that exist across Washington, what they currently pay, what type of education and training are needed, and what the demand will be for that type of job in the coming decade. It also provides links to local training programs and certifications.

“This kind of information will help our state’s work force make effective use of their educational opportunities and be competitive in the global economy,” said Gov. Chris Gregoire. “It is a great opportunity for Washington students to see what the real world looks like in their field of interest.”

Karen Lee, commissioner of the Employment Security Department, said the information can be useful to young people who are trying to match their natural interests and aptitudes with a gainful career.

“This is important information for students who are mapping out their future and for mature workers who want to stay competitive,” said Lee. “We want to arm citizens with as much information as possible to earn a good living while doing what interests them.”

Career Clusters is a free service and is located on Employment Security’s Workforce Explorer Web site at http://www.workforceexplorer.com/article.asp?ARTICLEID=7301.

Clicking first on a desired region, then on a specific job category, leads to an occupational details page with information on current wages, employment projections, necessary skills, available training programs and the top industries of employment for the chosen career.

“Our Career Clusters tool offers a vision for a lifetime and prepares Washington’s kids for successful growth in their chosen careers,” said Lee.

08.30.06 - The State of Washington Employment Security Department is introducing a new category of workforce related policies - WorkSource System Policy. Policies in this category are intended to consider the one-stop service delivery system as a whole. The intent is to address policy issues that are applicable to more then one partner program in the WorkSource system. The partner programs directly affected are identified in the policy. These policies provide statewide direction to ESD administered labor exchange related programs, Workforce Investment Act Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth programs, and other partner programs when applicable. The policies may indirectly affect others in the local system and partners are encouraged to be provided the policy for information sharing purposes.

Another new WorkSource System policy, which will address the Department of Labor "Common Measures", will be issued in the future.
WorkSource System Policy 06-1, "Job Orders"
(Ed. Note: Policy can be found on the Policy Page.) The policy describes federal regulations and state policy related to job order taking through the public labor exchange system. The policy applies to Employment Security labor exchange staff and any other partner program staff who are providing a labor exchange function.

Please note that the policy now includes a requirement for standard formats to be used for entering information on suppressed Job Orders into the SKIES system.

The WorkSource Operations Division will also be distributing this policy to ESD WorkSource Area Directors and Administrators under a separate cover. The policy will be posted on the website in the near future.

08.15.06 - The County Commissioners for Yakima, Kittitas, Klickitat and Skamania Counties today passed a resolution and interlocal agreement with one another in the South Central Consortium to establish South Central Workforce Council as a Washington Non-Profit Corporation and to designate the South Central Workforce Council as the Fiscal and Administrative Agent of the South Central Consortium.

The consortium of county commissioners will continue to jointly oversee and govern the local workforce programs with the local Council as they have in the past. However, fiscal and administrative functions previously performed by Yakima County will now be the responsibility of the Council. As a result of this change, the Council expects to achieve greater efficiency, the flexibility to be more responsive to the workforce needs of the community and the ability to apply for and receive private foundation funding to support local workforce programs. The anticipated cost savings and ability to seek new funding is needed by the Council in a time when federal resources are shrinking.

Once the transition occurs, the Department of Employment and Training staff will no longer be a part of Yakima County government, as it has been for the past several decades, but instead will be employed by the Council, as a non-profit organization. It is expected that the actual change over of systems such as payroll, accounting, and grant management will occur over the next few months, with a targeted completion date of December 31, 2006, the end of the county's fiscal year.

08.16.06 - Olympia - The Employment Security Department has released $5 million to the South Central Workforce Development Council to provide employment and training assistance to youths and adults through June 2007.

The council oversees the design and delivery of employment and training services for residents in Yakima, Kittitas, Klickitat and Skamania counties.

“The best way to keep Washington competitive in the global economy is to ensure that our workers get the job assistance and training they need to succeed in the workplace,” said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee. “These funds will help hundreds of workers move forward on a brighter future for themselves and their families.

” The money will be used to assist at-risk students, low-income adults who need help getting a job and workers who lose their jobs due to business downsizing or closure, foreign competition or technological change. Types of services include skills assessment, individual counseling, job-readiness training and occupational training. Other services also may include job search, job referral and relocation assistance. A goal of the adult programs is to meet employer demand for skilled, qualified workers.

“These resources are vital to helping people obtain employment in livable wage jobs, while assisting employers in finding a skilled workforce,” said Patrick Baldoz, director of the workforce development council. “This definitely is a cornerstone to the social and economic health of our communities.”

08.15.06 - OLYMPIA – Employment growth in Washington picked up in July, with employers adding 8,700 non-farm jobs over the month, the Employment Security Department announced today.

“As the economy in Washington continues to grow and our companies become more global, the need for skilled workers increases,” said Governor Chris Gregoire. “This is good news for job seekers and for our economy.”

At the same time, the number of people who are employed decreased for the first time since May. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched up two-tenths of a percentage point to 5.3 percent. While the number of filled and available jobs grew, the number of people who were employed dropped by 16,900.

“Just when it looked like things were starting to slow down, employers really picked up the pace in terms of adding jobs last month,” said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee. “While unemployment did increase slightly, the conditions remain favorable for job seekers in our state.”

Some 81,500 net new jobs were created in Washington from July 2005 to July 2006. Annual non-farm job growth in the state was 2.9 percent, compared to a national rate of 1.3 percent over the year.

The service sector continues to lead job growth, contributing 55,800 jobs over the year, including 7,900 net new jobs in July. The increase in service jobs was spread across industries with government adding 4,200 jobs and education services adding 2,800. By contrast, the trade industry was down with retail shedding 1,000 jobs and financial activities losing 300 jobs over the month.

Lee said she encourages the estimated 166,700 unemployed workers in Washington to visit a local WorkSource office and to check online job listings at www.go2worksource.com.

08.14.06 - OLYMPIA – The Employment Security Department uncovered $5.2 million and prevented another $2.7 million in unemployment-benefits fraud in the second quarter of 2006.

The department detected $1.5 million more in fraud from April through June than in the first quarter of the year and increased prevention by $700,000.

“Stopping people from collecting benefits they don’t deserve is one of our top priorities,” said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee. “We have added new tools to detect fraud, and have really stepped up our efforts to prevent fraud before any money goes out the door.”

Employment Security uses a variety of techniques to catch people who collect unemployment benefits to which they are not entitled, including cross-matching records with the Social Security Administration, the state Department of Labor & Industries and the state and national lists of new hires. The agency also investigates tips from the public.

The most common types of fraud include failing to look for work, not reporting income and continuing to collect benefits after returning to work.

Lee said that employers can help reduce fraud by unemployment claimants by filing accurate tax and wage reports and by responding to notices from Employment Security, particularly those related to the reason a worker left the job.

Employers are required to report all new employees to the Department of Social and Health Services within 20 days of hire. Proper reporting reduces unemployment and workers’ compensation fraud and helps the state collect child support. Employers can report new hires on the Internet at www1.dshs.wa.gov/newhire/ or by calling 800-562-0479, option 3.

On July 1, Employment Security launched a new anti-fraud program that targets employers who try to manipulate their tax rates to pay less than they should.

August 10, 2006 - Washington, DC - PDF Document
Subject:
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Adult and Youth Programs Final Allotments for Program Year (PY) 2006, and Additional PY 2006 Funding from WIA Section 173(e) for Adult/Dislocated Worker Activities for Eligible States
Purpose:
To provide states with WIA Title I Adult and Youth Activities Programs final allotments for PY 2006 and related additional PY 2006 WIA Section 173(e) funds for eligible states.

07.18.06 - OLYMPIA –Washington employers added 3,800 non-farm jobs in June and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.1 percent, the Employment Security Department announced today.

"Washington continues to have good news for job seekers," said Gov. Chris Gregoire. "As our job market continues to expand, there are jobs available for people who want to work."

Annual non-farm job growth in the state was 3.3 percent, compared to a national rate of 1.4 percent over the year.

Some 91,700 net new jobs were created in Washington from June 2005 to June 2006. The construction industry continued to lead growth over the year with 19,300 net new jobs, but has slowed recently, adding 100 jobs in June. The aerospace industry has added jobs every month since the Boeing strike in September 2005, adding 500 jobs in June.

By contrast, retail (minus 300), leisure and hospitality (minus 200) and information (minus 100) all reported job losses over the month.

"Job growth has slowed to a more sustainable pace over the last couple of months, but that’s to be expected after the near-record growth we saw throughout 2005 and early this year," said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee.

Lee said she encourages the estimated 168,625 unemployed workers in Washington to visit a local WorkSource office and to check online job listings at www.go2worksource.com.

July 20, 2006 - (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that she has secured over $7.3 million for critical investments in workplace, healthcare, and education priorities throughout Washington state. The funding was included in the Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. Senator Murray is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"I am proud to have helped bring funding to a variety of very worthwhile programs throughout our state," said Senator Murray. "This bill will get health care initiatives off the ground, bring new technology to existing programs, support workforce training programs, and will ultimately make a difference in the lives of Washingtonians."

Senator Murray was particularly proud of funding she was able to receive for workforce development programs across the state. The programs seek to address workforce shortages through worker development, education, and training. The programs serve a diverse group of professions including: airport workers, nurses, port workers, and loggers.

"When I travel across the state, employers tell me they are desperate to find workers with the skills they need to grow their businesses," said Senator Murray. "I have worked hard to bring funding to Washington programs that are returning hope to our nation's workforce." Now that the bill has passed the full Appropriations Committee it must be brought up for a vote on the Senate floor.

Funding for Washington state priorities include:

CHOICE Regional Health Network -- $200,000
These funds will be used for CHOICE Regional Health Network's new Emergency Care Center Case Coordination Program in a five-county region of rural Washington State. The innovative program will help reduce inappropriate emergency room use by 25% and create better health outcomes for at least 2,500 of the region's most vulnerable residents.

MAVIN Foundation -- $200,000
These funds will be used to help expand the Mixed Race Action Plan on mental and physical health issues emphasizing three regions where mixed race populations are significant.

Port Security Training Program -- $200,000
These funds will be used to develop a module to train long shore workers on the west coast to meet new security requirements and other responsibilities associated with the passage of federal port security legislation.

Jumpstart -- $250,000
These funds will go towards Jumpstart’s “One Child at a Time” project in Seattle and Spokane. This project partners Gonzaga University and University of Washington students with Head Start and early childhood centers for low-income children to provide a one-to-one mentoring program. Over 150 University student mentors will read to children and facilitate parental involvement in early childhood education, as well as provide literacy skills to parents where relevant. The investment of more than 28,000 hours of individual attention devoted by university mentors will allow nearly 1000 of Washington’s most disadvantaged preschoolers to develop.

Child Care Resource and Referral Network -- $750,000
These funds will go towards the Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network. This program provides a new system for evaluating and publicizing the quality of child care facilities, will assist child care facilities in improving their quality, and will provide incentives for facilities to serve low-income families. The Child Care Resource & Referral Network will allow families all over Washington State to make informed decisions regarding child care based on a variety of factors including learning environment, adult-to-child ratio, training and education of providers, and delivery of comprehensive pre-school services.

Health Work Force Institute -- $500,000 Seattle WA
These funds will be used to develop and implement a health workforce diversity recruitment and worker development initiative for incumbent workers, unemployed persons, and youth to ease the workforce shortage, increase diversity in health careers, reduce health disparities, and reduce high unemployment in minority populations.

Deaf Blind Service Center -- $300,000 Seattle, WA
These funds will be used for the National Support Service Providers (SSP) Pilot Project run by the Seattle-based Deaf Blind Service Center. This highly innovative program assists the deaf-blind community in job-related tasks as well as everyday activities by lowering communication barriers and increasing accessibility of transportation, educational materials, and general information about their surroundings. The funding would allow the Deaf Blind Service Center in Seattle to train 65 more SSPs.

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance -- $700,000 Seattle, WA
These funds will be used for the purchase of equipment for a Mobile Mammography Center to increase access to digital mammography for more women throughout the Northwest, especially to those living in underserved areas.

Port Jobs, in partnership with South Seattle Community College -- $100,000 Seattle, WA
This funding will go towards the Port Jobs program which operates in partnership with South Seattle Community College. The funding will go towards developing a pilot project to help entry-level airport workers advance toward economic self-sufficiency. Through this program airport workers will have access to the education and training they need to move towards higher paying jobs.

Northwest Hospital and Medical Center Community Health Education and Simulation Center (CHESC) -- $750,000 Seattle, WA
This funding will go towards a hands-on training center using state-of-the-art equipment and simulation mannequins for practicing, and would optimize medical procedures and life saving techniques.

Child Care Resource and Referral Network -- $750,000 Tacoma, WA
These funds will go towards the Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network. This program provides a new system for evaluating and publicizing the quality of child care facilities, will assist child care facilities in improving their quality, and will provide incentives for facilities to serve low-income families. The Child Care Resource & Referral Network will allow families all over Washington State to make informed decisions regarding child care based on a variety of factors including learning environment, adult-to-child ratio, training and education of providers, and delivery of comprehensive pre-school services.

Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council -- $100,000 Vancouver, WA
This funding will be used to match mentors from the business community with SW WA AP teachers and students with an emphasis on math and science. Mentors will meet monthly with their students to assist them in their coursework, to share real life and business applications of the subject matter, and to spur students toward additional education, training and career opportunities related to the subject matter.

Mattawa Community Medical Clinic -- $400,000 Mattawa, WA
These funds will be used to complete construction of a new Rural Health Clinic to better serve a growing community that primarily consists of uninsured and Medicaid patients.

South Central Workforce Development Council -- $150,000 Yakima, WA
This funding would allow small to mid-size manufacturers in plastics, rolled steel, aerospace, and composite technology to take advantage of incumbent training in production efficiency, flow process control, and the elimination of waste, time, material, and space in the product stream. It would also allow small to mid-sized food processors to link with education partners to create short-term incumbent courses in hydraulics, instrumentation, ammonia refrigeration, and process controls. This funding request will allow incumbent worker training to be provided to 60 employers, and anticipates 400 workers will receive training in a two year period.

Washington State University College of Nursing -- $1.5 million Spokane, WA
These funds will be used to augment the facility/laboratories and equipment/technology in a new WSU nursing education facility to increase the quality and quantity of nurses educated in Washington state.

Washington State University $500,000 Pullman, WA
These funds will go towards Washington State University’s Center for the Recruitment, Promotion and Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering program. This funding will provide mentorship, as well as professional and academic support, for women pursuing science and engineering fields. It will also work towards recruiting women to pursue the pure and applied sciences. This program will serve as a model for universities all over the country that struggle to recruit and retain women in these technical fields.

Northwest Washington Electrical Industry Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee $125,000 Mount Vernon, WA
These funds will be used to recruit and train new workers, and to update the skills of incumbent workers in response to new technologies needed to assemble the Boeing Dreamliner and infrastructure projects like Brightwater. Specifically the funding will be used for additional classroom instructors, to upgrade existing equipment, and to purchase additional training equipment specific to the industry.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory $500,000 Richland, WA
This funding will help the PNNL accelerate the search for the low abundance proteins (biomarkers) that may be early indicators of breast cancer and cardio-vascular disease and may lead to better diagnostics and treatments for such diseases.

Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council $100,000 Lacey, WA
This funding will allow loggers to be trained in the new prescriptions (cutting requirements, selective logging, etc.) and will train restoration crews that will perform restoration work after logging; training up to 8 local logging crews, 25 contract loggers, and up to twenty restoration workers, from Lewis County, in order to provide family wage jobs.

TOTAL FUNDING SECURED FOR WASHINGTON STATE: $7.325 MILLION

06.05.06 - The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board has announced their selection for Interim Executive Director, Don Bennett. Don has been a colleague of outgoing Director Ellen O'Brien-Saunders on the Small Agency Cabinet in his role as Executive Secretary to the Personnel Appeals Board, a post he has held since 1997. In that position, he reduced case processing time, improved the agency's technology, and supported the three member Board as it adjudicated disciplinary and merit system appeals of state employees.

Earlier in his career he served as Leadership Counsel for the State Senate (1991-97), Director for Policy and Legal Services for the Washington State School Directors' Association (1988-90), and staff counsel for the Senate's Education Committee (1986-88).

Under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), the Secretary of Labor annually determines the Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) for uses described in the law. WIA defines the term "Low Income Individual" as one who qualifies under various criteria, including an individual who received income for a six-month period that does not exceed the higher of the poverty line or 70 percent of the LLSIL.

The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has published the Secretary's annual LLSIL for 2006 in the June 1, 2006 FEDERAL REGISTER.

This publication provides guidance on the development of these data and their appropriate uses.

The following set of tables appears in the 2006 publication:

Table 1: LLSIL (for a family of four persons) by Region
Table 2: LLSIL (for a family of four persons) for Alaska, Hawaii and Guam
Table 3: LLSIL (for a family of four persons) for 23 Metropolitan Statistical Areas
Table 4: Seventy Percent of Updated LLSIL by Family Size Table 5: Updated 2006 LLSIL (100 Percent) by Family Size

In addition to the June 1 REGISTER notice, ETA will provide the workforce community with the 2006 LLSIL on the www.doleta.gov/llsil/ site.

Written comments may be addressed to Mr. Haskel Lowery, Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N-4464, Washington, DC 20210. Additional information may also be obtained from Mr. Lowery at (202) 693-3608.

The Department of Health and Human Services published its update of the poverty guidelines in the January 24, 2006 FEDERAL REGISTER. These guidelines are also available on the HHS Web site.

TEGL 11-02, Change 3 to the Operating Instructions for Implementing the Amendments to the Trade Act of 1974 Enacted by the Trade Act of 2002 - Revised Eligibility Requirements for Trade Readjustment Assistance (TRA) and Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2227 is now available. more>>

A vote of confidence in the workforce development system by the US Congress couldn't be timelier. On the afternoon of May 22, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted House Resolution 808, recognizing the outstanding work of Workforce Development Councils and WorkSource, our state's one-stop employment and training system. The resolution declares May "National One-Stop Month." This vote of confidence comes on the heels of a White House proposal to cut funding for the Workforce Investment Act which supports Workforce Development Councils and WorkSource.

The U.S. House and Senate have both responded with strong efforts opposing these cuts. In the Senate, Maria Cantwell led a bipartisan coalition of 38 senators calling for full funding for the Workforce Investment Act and protection of the quality of our workforce as we compete in the global economy.

In the House of Representatives, Congressmen Jon Porter (R-NV) and John Tierney (D-MA), led a bipartisan coalition of 104 US Representatives who signed onto a "Dear Colleague" letter asking the House Appropriations Committee to fully fund the Workforce Investment Act. This is the most signatures on a "Dear Colleague" letter in the House this year. Last year the strongest "Dear Colleague" letter was for children's hospitals and garnered 140 signatures.

"More than any other factor, the skills of our people will define our economic future," said Tim Probst, CEO of the Washington Workforce Association. "This resolution shows that Congress acknowledges the impact workforce development has on our economy."

The new House Resolution says "more than 600 workforce investment boards [named Workforce Development Councils in Washington State] and 2,000 One-Stop Career Centers are enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation by providing workforce solutions for hundreds of thousands of employers annually across the United States…allowing more than 14,000,000 job seekers annually the opportunity to connect with the tools they need for their next career opportunity."

The Workforce Investment Act funds our local Workforce Development Councils. Workforce Development Councils make our local workforce more skilled and adaptable by aligning education, training and job placement services to meet the needs defined by local businesses and workers. The Workforce Investment Act also helps fund WorkSource. WorkSource's one-stop centers help over 12,000 people find jobs each month, and support local businesses by improving hiring, training and retention of workers.

Congressman Ric Keller (R-FL), Chairman of the 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, sponsored the resolution. The full text of the resolution is attached.

The Resolution

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - As forecasts for housing price growth have cooled for most of the country, they are calling for booming values in the state of Washington.

For the June issue of MONEY Magazine, Fiserv Lending Solutions and Moody's Economy.com provided forecasts for the coming 12 months for 380 metro areas - they predict that five of the top 10 fastest growers will be in Washington. Ten of the top 17 will be.

The median home price in Wenatchee, a small city in central Washington, is set to grow at 16.7 percent from June 2006 to June 2007. Other bright spots: Mount Vernon (14.5 percent), Olympia (13.1 percent) and Yakima (12.8 percent).

For the United States overall, forecasters expect just 5 percent growth.

"Although price growth has been steady in Washington, it has not been outstripping the economic fundamentals," says Celia Chen, Director of Housing Economics for Economy.com.

The real estate markets have been pretty much balanced in the Northwest while many others have been sellers-markets for years.

Solid fundamentals

Lennox Scott, who runs John L. Scott real estate, one of the biggest brokers in the Northwest, attributes much of the future market strength in Washington to job growth. "Microsoft announced it's hiring 10,000 more people," he says. "Boeing is hiring. The anomaly of historic low mortgage rates drove prices for the past few years. Job growth will drive them for the next few."

Job growth in the area was 3 percent last year, double the rate for the United States as a whole, according to ChangMook Sohn, executive director of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council of the State of Washington. "We expect that to slow a little this year but to still be strong."

Glenn Crellin, the director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at Washington State University, attributes some of the effect to a bit of lag before trends reach Washington.

"Our markets took off after California and the East Coast did," says Crellin.

In addition, home ownership in Washington trails the rest of the country; a strenghtening job market could lead renters to start buying. The home-ownership rate is 64 percent, versus 70 pecent in the rest of the country, according to Barb Lally, of the Washington Realtors Association.

Demand will also come from population growth, now 1.8 percent according to Sohn, nearly twice the national average.

Much of the population growth consists of people with means, according to Richard Davis, president of the Washington Research Council. "Researchers find that those moving to our state tend to be well-educated, higher-income professionals ... these folks add to market pressures by bidding up the price of available housing," Davis wrote in arecent report.

Washington is among the top 10 of states in attracting more domestic migration than they lose to other states. "About 30 percent of the in-migration comes from California," says Sohn. "For them, housing is a bargain. They come with cash and buy houses twice as large as they left behind."

In Seattle, for example, Washington's most expensive city, the median home price in the fourth quarter of 2005 had reached $360,000. But Los Angeles prices were at $525,000 and San Francisco's were a whopping $825,000. Seattle prices are forecasted to growth 10.5 percent during the next four quarters.

Other Washington areas with high projected growth are coming off a lower base -- the median home price in Olympia, for example, was $199,000 at the end of 2005. In Wenatchee, it was $185,000.

Manged growth

Crellin also attributes some of the market strength to a growth management act passed in 1990. It established boundaries for individual cities; they had to focus their development efforts within those limits. That helps preserve farmland and open space and increases the density of populated areas so service delivery, such as water supply, garbage collection and highway construction, can be done more efficiently.

Although that may have a salutary impact on Washingtonians' quality of life, it also curtails the land available for development and so drives up prices.

There is a movement among builders and developers to try to ease these restrictions so as to increase the stock of affordable housing. But until that happens and if Washington's fundamentals remain robust, the housing market should continue to outperform most of the rest of the country.

05.18.06 - OLYMPIA – The Employment Security Department announced today that Washington employers added 5,200 non-farm jobs in April, marking consistent growth for the 33rd straight month.

“This consistent growth is good news for Washington families and employers,” said Gov. Chris Gregoire. “As our economy continues to grow, more Washingtonians should be able to compete in the global economy and move Washington forward.”

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched up one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.7 percent in April. The unemployment rate measures how many people in the state do not have jobs and are actively seeking work. The percentage increased at the same time that jobs were added because more people decided to look for work.

“The economic expansion in this state is nearing historic proportions,” said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee. “Unemployment is hovering near all-time lows and we’ve had another month of widespread job growth. Construction is especially booming this year.”

Annual non-farm job growth in the state was 3.4 percent, with 94,700 net new jobs created from April 2005 to April 2006. The construction industry led that growth with an increase of 11.4 percent, adding 1,100 jobs over the month and 20,000 over the year. Manufacturing and technology also expanded significantly, according to Employment Security economists. Aerospace manufacturing was up 400 jobs in April, with an annual increase of 6,700. Machinery manufacturing added 100 jobs in April and 1,000 over the year. Software publishing and computer systems design added 400 and 500 jobs, respectively, in April, and each added 2,000 over the year. By contrast, logging, motor-vehicle and parts dealers, air transportation and wired telecommunications all reported job losses over the past year.

Lee said she encourages the estimated 155,200 unemployed workers in Washington to visit a local WorkSource office and to check online job listings at www.go2worksource.com.

05.10.06 - TEGL 28-05 -- ETA's New Strategic Vision for the Delivery of Youth Services Under WIA: "Expanding ETA's Vision for the Delivery of Youth Services Under WIA to include Indian and Native American Youth and Youth with Disabilities" is now available. more>>

04.11.06
Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Congressional Rescissions for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Adult and Dislocated Worker Program; WIA Adult and Youth Programs Planning Estimates for Program Year (PY) 2006; WIA Allotments for the Dislocated Worker Program for PY 2006; Wagner-Peyser Act Final Allotments for PY 2006; Workforce Information Grants to States for PY 2006; and Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and Welfare-to-Work (WtW) Tax Credit Allotments for FY 2006
Read the TEGL here.

OIC of Washington Multipurpose Room, 815 Fruitvale Blvd., Yakima, WA, 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Washington’s Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) will hold a community forum in Yakima on Wednesday, April 19 to gather ideas to improve and enhance innovative programs for poor and vulnerable people. The forum will cover Yakima, Kittitas, Skamania and Klickitat. It’s the fifth of 14 forums planned across the state from March through June, according to Marijo Olson, assistant director of the Community Services Division of CTED.

“Let’s identify local needs and strategies, and get a better sense of the priorities of services needed to help low income families and other vulnerable community members,” said Olson, whose division is co-sponsoring the event along with the South Central Workforce Council.

“We know that working in partnership with local communities is what creates innovations that make life better for Washington’s citizens,” she said. “We are interested in services that meet emergency and community safety needs, as well as those that help families become self-sufficient.” Invitations are being extended to non-profit leaders, consumers, advocates, school leaders, county and local government officials as well as volunteers or interested citizens.

The division analyzed the local needs assessments and plans of 31 Community Action Agencies to prepare for the forums and will provide a brief report of those findings at the meeting. To improve services, the agency also sent out an e-mail survey to people who work with or are interested in helping low-income families and vulnerable people across the state. Those findings will also be shared with participants.

“CTED is looking forward to your collaboration, expertise and enthusiasm as we look for successful models and services that can be used or expanded to other parts of the state,” Olson added.

The Community Services Division is part of the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED). CTED is the lead state agency charged with enhancing and promoting sustainable communities and economic vitality in Washington State. For more information, please visit www.cted.wa.gov.

03.30.06 - Olympia
In a March 14 letter to Workforce Board Chair David Harrison, Governor Chris Gregoire called on the Workforce Board to conduct a study of Washington State's workforce development system "...to identify ways in which our workforce development system can be improved to better serve our citizens and meet the needs of employers." Citing her trade missions to Europe and Asia, she noted that "...Washington State needs the best workforce development system in the country, if not the world."

The USDOL Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored a telephone conference on Friday, March 17, regarding the Administration's plans to discontinue support for America's Job Bank (AJB) as of July 1, 2007.

According to ETA, the environment has changed since AJB was started over a decade ago as most states have developed or purchased their own Internet-based job banks and the private sector has caught up and produced numerous nationwide job bank sites. The two major factors ETA weighed when making their decision to discontinue support for AJB were: (1) changes in the job bank market and (2) the costs associated with running AJB.

ETA is proceeding with plans to phase out AJB by June 30, 2007. ETA officials indicate they will work with states to assess thoroughly their individual situations and address any issues. ETA also will provide technical assistance to states. According to ETA, the impact on the rest of the CareerOneStop suite of electronic tools will be minimal.

One of the major concerns of states pertains to employers who want to post a job order in multiple states. ETA has said it will be working to create a system that allows employers to post a job order once and have it broadcasted to selected state job banks. States using the America's One-Stop Operating System (AOSOS) have a stronger reliance on AJB than most other states. ETA will meet with the AOSOS states and provide counsel on alternative solutions.

Documents that were sent to state administrators regarding the AJB transition are available on the Workforce ATM under National Headlines.

OLYMPIA – March 21, 2006 The number of non-farm jobs in Washington increased by 10,100 in February, up 98,300 from a year earlier, according to the state Employment Security Department (ESD).

Because more people have decided to look for work, increasing the overall size of the “job market,” the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose slightly, from 4.6 percent to 4.8 percent. The unemployment rate measures how many people in the state do not have jobs and are actively seeking work.

“It’s more good news for Washington’s economy,” said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee. “People see that employers are consistently adding jobs, so they are coming out to look for work. The work force in our state is thriving.”

Employment Security economists said that job gains last month continued to be widespread across industries. The increase was led by a surge in construction, which added 2,500 jobs. The services sector also saw strong growth, adding 1,700 new jobs in education and health services and 1,400 new jobs in professional and business services. Lee said she encourages the estimated 187,900 unemployed workers in Washington to visit a local WorkSource office and to check online job listings at www.go2worksource.com.

Top of Page

Washington, DC - March 17, 2006 - The USDOL Employment and Training Administration (ETA) sponsored a telephone conference on Friday, March 17, regarding the Administration's plans to discontinue support for America's Job Bank (AJB) as of July 1, 2007.

According to ETA, the environment has changed since AJB was started over a decade ago as most states have developed or purchased their own Internet-based job banks and the private sector has caught up and produced numerous nationwide job bank sites. The two major factors ETA weighed when making their decision to discontinue support for AJB were: (1) changes in the job bank market and (2) the costs associated with running AJB.

ETA is proceeding with plans to phase out AJB by June 30, 2007. ETA officials indicate they will work with states to assess thoroughly their individual situations and address any issues. ETA also will provide technical assistance to states. According to ETA, the impact on the rest of the CareerOneStop suite of electronic tools will be minimal.

One of the major concerns of states pertains to employers who want to post a job order in multiple states. ETA has said it will be working to create a system that allows employers to post a job order once and have it broadcasted to selected state job banks. States using the America's One-Stop Operating System (AOSOS) have a stronger reliance on AJB than most other states. ETA will meet with the AOSOS states and provide counsel on alternative solutions.

Documents that were sent to state administrators regarding the AJB transition are available on the Workforce ATMwebsite under National Headlines.

OLYMPIA - Governor Chris Gregoire today signed into law a measure that will close tax loopholes in the unemployment-insurance system and keep $1 billion a year in federal tax credits for Washington businesses.

"When employers don't pay their fair share of unemployment insurance, the burden is shifted to other employers," said Governor Gregoire. "This law is a big step forward in our efforts to crack down on fraud and make the system equitable for all Washington employers."

The new law targets employers who try to manipulate their unemployment tax rate by purchasing, restructuring or merging a business to get a lower rate.

"This legislation also brings Washington state law in line with federal law which preserves $1 billion in tax credits for business," said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee. "It also maintains more than $88 million in federal funding for the state to run the unemployment system."

Senate Bill 6359 is part of a larger package requested by the Gregoire administration to combat fraud, Lee noted.

The agency also received $1.8 million in the supplemental budget to increase efforts to detect and investigate fraud by employers and by unemployment claimants, and to collect unpaid taxes and invalid unemployment payments. The funding comes from penalties and interest collected from violators over the past year.

03.10.06 - National Workforce Association - Washington, DC- The Senate Budget Committee finished its markup of the FY 07 Budget Resolution yesterday. The bill will be on the Senate floor next week. It passed out of the Budget Committee along party lines, following the President’s overall funding request level of $873 billion for discretionary programs. However, Chairman Judd Gregg shifted $5 billion from Defense and Foreign Operations to domestic spending including an additional $1.5 billion each to education and health programs.

Additional funding will help replace a portion of the $7 billion shortfall in the Administration’s FY 07 budget request for programs in the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee. This additional funding is still inadequate for Labor-HHS Chairman Specter and Ranking Member Harkin, who will seek to add more funding to the bill on the Senate floor for programs within Labor-HHS, including WIA. We will alert you as soon as the details of a Specter/Harkin amendment become finalized.

Many close to the Budget debate believe that this amendment, which will add significant funding for domestic programs, will have a realistic chance for passage despite needing 60 votes for passage because it will break the budget caps. Support is expected to come from a number of Senate Republicans, particularly among those up for re- election cycle, uneasy with the proposed funding cuts for domestic programs in the Bush budget request.

Consideration of the House Budget Resolution has been delayed until the end of the month, as a markup would not likely have passed out of Committee this week. House Republicans are in the midst of a difficult fight within the party between the conservative branch of the party called the Republican Study Committee (RSC), which is comprised of over 100 House Republicans, and moderate Members. The RSC introduced a budget proposal yesterday to cut nearly $650 billion over the next five years, while moderates, who comprise about 50 House Members, are concerned that the Bush budget proposal already cuts too deeply in key domestic priorities. Moderates tell NWA that they believe they can lose control of the House if the Bush budget is passed.

Senior House Members tell NWA that the House leadership is leaning toward the wishes of the Republican base, which are encouraging even bigger cuts than in the Administration’s budget proposal. The leadership will work over the next couple of weeks to rally a majority of the Republican Conference behind a budget proposal, the precise dimensions of which are unclear at this time.

However, NWA is hearing in both the House and Senate very little optimism that a House-Senate Budget Conference will be completed this year. This would be good news for the workforce system, the Senate will likely produce significantly higher funding levels for WIA than in the House if it breaks the budget caps and a bigger gap between the two chambers could mean a higher funding level when the Labor-HHS Conference in negotiated in the fall.

OLYMPIA - If you're one of the 155,000 unemployed Washington residents currently looking for work, you may be interested to know that more than 26,000 Washington-based job openings are currently posted on the Employment Security Department's go2worksource.com Web site.

According to Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee, the number of jobs posted on the site steadily increased over past year, from 16,510 in January 2005 to 26,505 in January 2006. Meanwhile, the number of job searches by workers decreased from 1.3 million per month to 950,000 per month over the same period.

"Our unemployment rate is at its lowest point in several years, and it's getting harder for employers to find people to fill their vacancies," said Lee. "More and more employers are turning to our site to find talented employees, so I strongly encourage people who are looking for work or looking for a better job to visit go2worksource.com."

Go2worksource.com is an Internet-based, self-service system where registered employers and job seekers can quickly find each other. There is no fee to use the service.

Employers can post job openings to be viewed by job seekers, search for résumés and contact prospective candidates by e-mail. Job seekers can post a résumé to be viewed by employers, search for job openings, contact employers by e-mail and even apply on-line.

"This Web site has a lot of valuable information, beyond bringing employers and job seekers together," Lee said.

WorkSource is a partnership of business, government agencies, colleges and non-profit organizations that offer career services for job seekers and businesses. There are 66 WorkSource offices open to the public statewide. The offices are listed online at www.go2worksource.com and in blue pages of the phone book.

02.28.06 - .OLYMPIA - The Washington State Employment Security Department announced today that Washington's unemployment rate for January dipped to 4.7 percent, the lowest rate since December 1999 and 0.5 percentage points lower than the December 2005 revised rate of 5.2 percent.

The unemployment rate is based on a survey of Washington households, which indicated that total, seasonally adjusted employment grew by 13,600 in January.

Consistent with that, a separate survey of Washington businesses found that the seasonally adjusted number of non-farm jobs increased by 13,900 in January.

The sectors that contributed the most to these gains were construction, up 3,800 jobs; retail trade, up 2,600; and professional and business services, up 1,800. While no sectors lost employment over the month, there were three industries that experienced significant employment losses-software publishers, down by 500 jobs; accounting and bookkeeping services, down 500; and electronic markets and agents and brokers, down 300.

Total employment in January was just over 3.1 million, while 155,000 were unemployed - down 18,500 from December.

Over all, at least 89,500 non-farm jobs were added from January 2005 to January 2006.

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Purpose: The intent of this guidance is to replace existing guidance with a single, unified Department of Labor guidance document on the common measures and WIA Section 136 performance accountability system.more>>

01.30.06 - Nursing demand remains high
In Central Washington, the RN shortage registered third on the list of hot job prospects in the area encompassing Yakima, Kittitas and Klickitat counties.Complete article from Yakima Herald-Republic

01.26.06 - Purpose: To inform states and local areas about the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP) and how WIA youth programs can access its Education and Training Vouchers to assist foster care youth and those aging out of foster care complete post-secondary education and training.Complete document

01.19.06 - The local economy is doing better, it's showing solid improvement, the trend is moving in the right direction," said Don Meseck, regional labor economist for the state Employment Security Department.Complete article published by Yakima Herald-Republic

01.10.06 - The Workforce Council voted Tuesday to rename itself, "The South Central Workforce Council". Since Skamania County joined the region, the previous "South Central" moniker was no longer meaningful.

In other business at the Council's meeting, Director Patrick Baldoz updated the group on the few remaining stumbling blocks to the planned withdrawal of the Workforce Council from Yakima County. Details with staff and commissioners at Yakima County are being ironed out, and commissioners at the other three counties in the South Central Consortium have committed their support. Baldoz expects to be able to formally begin transitioning business and fiscal processes from county staff to the Council within a few weeks.

01.08.06 - Governor Gregoire approved Skamania County's request last month to be moved from the Southwest Consortium to the South Central Consortium (now named the South Central Consortium) for the delivery of WIA workforce programs. The official move will not be final until July of 2006. However, the Washington State Employment Security Department has asked that we begin transition with the adult and dislocated worker programs. Youth programs would transition in July of 2006.

The County Commissioners for the four counties have agreed to rename their consortium "South Central Consortium". The Workforce Council has not yet decided on its new name. That action is expected to be taken at the meeting of the Board of Directors on January 10th.

01.06.06 - On 12.22.05 The Senate passed the revised Labor- HHS Appropriations Conference Report, attaching the bill on a procedural motion to the Defense Appropriations bill. The Senate has recessed until January 18th and the House will reconvene following a pro forma session today, on January 31st.

The revised Labor-HHS bill passed the House last week on a party line basis with only minor changes from the version that was defeated in the House a month ago. None of these changes affected the workforce system. Funding for the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor all took a cut in the bill. WIA funding was cut by $223 million below current levels, primarily because the President’s Community College initiative was cut in half this year to $125 million and all earmarks, including $57 million in the ETA account, were eliminated in the bill. On top of the funding cuts in the Labor-HHS bill, the Defense Appropriations bill also contained a 1% across the board cut to be applied to all discretionary programs, except for veterans health benefits.

Two major victories we spearheaded for the workforce system are contained in the Labor-HHS bill. Language is included to prohibit the Secretary from allowing states to redesignate their local areas until WIA is reauthorized. The bill also contains language to prevent the Secretary, for the second straight year, from changing the definition of administrative costs. These two provisions provide strong protections from the Administration’s efforts to use the delay in reauthorization as an opportunity to fundamentally change WIA locally led governance structure.

01.06.06 - The hold that was placed on WIA reauthorization to prevent it from coming to the Senate floor has not been lifted, despite our efforts in meeting with leadership and senior HELP Committee officials over the past three weeks to press the importance of moving WIA reauthorization before the Christmas recess. Unfortunately, the fights over the past few weeks between the two parties over budget reconciliation, ANWR, the Patriot Act, and completion of the remaining Appropriations bills has only exacerbated the lack of trust between the two parties. One of the core issues dividing this lack of trust is the faith based issue, the uncertain resolution of which continues to block the reauthorization of a number of domestic programs, including WIA. Until there is some sort of resolution of this divisive issue, it will be difficult to remove the hold on WIA reauthorization.

01.05.06 - The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has proposed a revised financial reporting collection format for all agency programs currently reporting on the OMB approved Standard Form (SF) 269 (REV 9-99). The basic financial reporting requirements for all Federal programs are prescribed by OMB Circulars A-102 and A-110. These requirements are codified in Department of Labor Regulations at 29 CFR 95.52 and 29 CFR 97.41, which specify that the SF 269 or such other forms that may be approved by OMB are authorized for obtaining financial information from recipients. This revised ETA Financial Report is consistent with OMB efforts to streamline Federal financial reporting, pursuant to Public Law 106-107.

These reporting requirements impact State agencies, local governments, and/or other for profit and non-profit organizations; and consortia of any and/or all of the above. Programs impacted by this revised reporting include State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs) -- comprised of Employment Service (ES), Unemployment Service (UI), and Trade Program Grant Agreements (TAs) -- Hardmark Grants; Business Relations Group High Growth Grants; H-I B Grants; Youth, comprised of Offender, Foster Care, Opportunity, and Rewarding Achievement Grants; and Performance Incentive Grants.

A copy of the agency's Paperwork Reduction Act submission package -- including the proposed revised form and instructions -- will be available at http://www.doleta.gov/Performance/guidance/OMBControlNumber.cfm.

Comments must be submitted by March 6, 2006. Comments should be addressed to Isabel Danley, Office of Grants and Contract Management, Employment and Training Administration, United States Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-4716, Washington, DC 20210, 202-693-3047 (this is not a toll-free number), danley.isabel@dol.gov, and/or fax 202-693-3362. Questions may also be directed to Ms. Danley.

The January 5 FEDERAL REGISTER provides full background, summarizes burden hour estimates, and describes the desired focus for comment.

Comments submitted in response to this proposed revision will be summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget approval; they will become a matter of public record.

01.04.06 - The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is seeking public comment on the proposed extension of two information collections associated with the Unemployment Insurance program -- Characteristics of the Insured Unemployed (ETA 203) and Claims and Payment Activities (ETA 159).

Comments should be submitted by March 6, 2006 to Subri Raman, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Room S-4231, 200 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20210. Phone number: 202-693-3058. Fax: 202-693-3229. E-mail: raman.subri@dol.gov.

The January 4 FEDERAL REGISTER provides full background, outlines the review focus, and summarizes other pertinent information for prospective commentators on the Characteristics of the Insured Unemployed and Claims and Payment Activities.