06/05/2012

Legislative Alert, June 5, 2012

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce officially announced today that it will be marking up H.R. 4297 Workforce Investment and Improvement Act (WIA) of 2012 on Thursday June 7 at 10:00am. You can read the press release here. This means that WIA reauthorization will be moving to the next step in the legislative process, perhaps in the near future.

 

The programs authorized through WIA serve as the backbone for many of the services career counselors provide. The National Career Development Association government relations committee has been closely following the bill and remains concerned about proposals to consolidate and reduce funding for over 20 federal workforce related programs into one Workforce Investment Fund, which will likely to be funded at a drastically reduced level. This approach, coupled with the overall plan outlined in the budget resolution to cut over $16 billion from our nation’s education, workforce and social service programs, suggests that Congress is seriously considering extremely deep cuts in skills investments.

 

Some of the programs likely to lose funding include:

 

 

The National Career Development Association government relations committee needs your help to protect these programs. Please find your member of congress, visit their website for their “contact us” form and let them know your views on H.R. 4297. For more information on the legislation, please see our update / newsletter at:

 

Below is a proposed template for your correspondence. Please personalize your story as much as possible, as that will have a greater impact on legislators and their staff.

 

 

June 5, 2012

 

The Honorable (First and Last Name)

(Address) House Office Building

United States House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

 

Dear Congressperson (Last Name),

 

As the House Education and the Workforce Committee begins its markup of H.R. 4297, the Workforce Investment and Improvement Act (WIA) of 2012 (scheduled for June 7th), I write to express my concerns about the bill as it currently stands and ask that you work with your colleagues to improve the bill as the House of Representatives moves forward with its consideration.

 

Overall I support a WIA reauthorization proposal that continues and improves our nation’s investment in providing services to the un- and underemployed. However, as a career counselor I simply cannot support reductions in funding for and consolidation of over 20 essential job training programs. As such, I must oppose H.R. 4297 and I believe it will cause irreparable harm to our efforts to get Americans back to work

 

[story as applicable]

 

It is extremely important for the nation’s economic recovery that unemployed Americans be able to receive the job training services they need to secure new employment in our recovering economy. With this in mind, it is essential that we make the appropriate investments in to the job training tools needed for Americans to succeed.

 

As a constituent of your district, I ask you to work to ensure that programs such as Job Corps, Workforce Innovation Fund, Veterans Workforce Investments Program, Employment Services/Wagner-Peyser Funded Activities and other WIA adult and youth programs remain in place to continue to serve America’s workforce.

 

I look forward to hearing your views on this topic and am eager to serve as a resource for you on these issues.

 

Sincerely,

 [your name]

 

 

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