Workforce Investment Act Presented to House Subcommittee -- California Capitol Hill Bulletin -- Volume 10, Bulletin 6 -- March 13, 2003

On March 11, 2003, representatives from the Department of Education and the Department of Labor delivered remarks to House lawmakers regarding President Bush's proposal to renew the national job training law otherwise known as the Workforce Investment Act or (WIA).

Testifying in front of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness, Emily DeRocco (Assistant Secretary, US Department of Labor), outlined major reauthorization provisions including: the consolidation of the WIA Adult, WIA Dislocated Worker, and the WIA Wagner-Peyser funding streams into one formula grant program; greater decision making efficiency and effectiveness for state and local governing Boards; further integration and development of One-stop Career Centers; reduction of performance accountability measures from seventeen indicators to eight; greater flexibility in the design of WIA programs; and strengthened partnerships between employers, educational and vocational institutions and labor.

Robert Pasternack of the Department of Education discussed the role of the Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants Program in helping those with disabilities find and retain competitive opportunities in the labor market. According to Mr. Pasternack, 243,000 individuals will be served by this disabilities workforce promotion program in 2004.

After listening to a second panel of workforce investment and training stakeholders, Subcommittee Chair Howard "Buck" McKeon (Santa Clarita) assured his colleagues that President Bush's WIA proposal would be strengthened in Congress and that concerns would be addressed as the bill continues to move through the legislative process. A mark up of the WIA proposal is expected to take place next week.

California receives between 16% and 17% of federal funding for adult and youth WIA grants, the formula for which is based on poverty and unemployment rates relative to the national average.

For more information on this hearing please visit the House Committee on Education and the Workforce website at: http://edworkforce.house.gov/ .

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