Washington Update

Congress reconvened on Monday after a week-long recess. Legislators continue to struggle with the competing agendas of budget reconciliation, proposed tax cuts, and the high cost of responding to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As a result, Members of Congress and their staff acknowledge that they are unlikely to meet the target adjournment date for this session of Congress, currently planned for November 18th.

A House vote on the FY '06 budget resolution that had been scheduled for October 19th was canceled. House Republican leaders plan to bring a non-binding budget amendment to the House floor the week of October 24th. Current indications are that the amendment would include:

The specifics of the across-the-board cut in discretionary spending would be subject to future negotiations.

Senate Democrats indicate that the non-binding budget amendment has no chance of passing the Senate, therefore, the Senate currently does not plan to call it to the floor. Instead, the Senate continues to look for spending offsets in the wake of the hurricanes and is still attempting to come to an agreement on $35 billion in spending cuts over five years.

Various Senate Committees have been charged by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) with identifying spending cuts within their respective areas of responsibility. In pursuit of meeting its portion, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee cut $7 billion from spending for higher education. However, it increased tuition grants for needy students by $2.5 billion, and authorized Pell Grant payments up to $4,500 per student per academic year.

On the House side, the House Education and the Workforce Committee is required to find an additional $5.5 billion in savings in pursuit of meeting budget reconciliation goals. The cuts are expected to come largely from student loan programs.

The Senate's Labor/Health and Human Services/Education appropriations bill may go to the Senate floor next week.

USDOL Announces Grants for Transportation Industry Training

Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao announced this week two grants totaling about $3.8 million to address workforce shortages in the transportation industry as part of the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative.

Grantees and their partners will contribute nearly $50 million in their own leveraged resources to carry out these projects.

For more information, see http://www.doleta.gov/BRG/Indprof/Transportation_investment.cfm

New Guidance for Employing Individuals with Disabilities

On Thursday, October 27, 2005, at 3:00 P.M. Eastern Time, the Workforce3One website will feature a webinar, Making the Connection: The Case for Employing People with Disabilities. The webinar will explore ways of promoting the employment of people with disabilities as an untapped labor source of qualified workers, and serving individuals with disabilities in a demand-driven system. To register, click onto http://www.workforce3one.org/public/skillbuilding/webinar_info.cfm?id=75

USDOL’s Office of Disability Employment has issued guidance to assist businesses as they recruit nd hire persons with disabilities. Focus on Ability: Interviewing Applicants with Disabilities provides information on preparing and conducting interviews in a manner that is respectful of applicants with disabilities and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Diverse Perspectives: People with Disabilities Fulfilling Your Business Goals offers strategies that can help businesses attract and retain workers with disabilities, and suggests steps that businesses can take to ensure that their products and services are marketed in a way that convey that people with disabilities are valued customers. For more information, see http://www.dol.gov/odep/current/current.htm

From the States

State News, Oregon

Governor Ted Kulongoski last month signed a bill creating the Oregon Innovation Council, which will provide the Governor's office and the Oregon legislature with advice regarding business innovation, with the aim of strengthening competitiveness in global markets. The Council will include representatives from industry, education, and government. The bill also appropriates $47 million for the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute to support operations and leverage private and federal funds. For more information about the Oregon Innovation Council and other technology-based economic development initiatives, see the State Science and Technology Weekly Digest at http://www.ssti.org/Digest/latest.htm

State News, Michigan

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm of Michigan announced recently that, beginning with the class of 2008, all students will be required to take a college entrance exam, the American College Test (ACT), as well as WorkKeys, the work skills assessment tool widely used in adult education and workforce development. These will replace the existing Michigan Education Assessment Test. By making the ACT exam available to all high-school students at no cost to the student, the state will ensure that every student has the needed entrance exam completed in order to qualify for admission into a college or university. The WorkKeys assessment will test “reading for information” skills and applied mathematics skills. To learn more about this initiative, see http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140 126791--,00.html

Vol V Issue 4
October 20, 2005

IN THIS ISSUE: