Murray hints at WIA reauthorization.

An article in today’s National Journal Daily (subscription required) provides the clearest signal yet that the Senate may soon advance legislation to reauthorize the federal Workforce Investment Act.

According to the article, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), chair of the HELP Committee’s Employment and Workplace Safety subcommittee, will introduce the long-awaited WIA bill in the “coming weeks.” The proposed measure has been under development for more than a year, through a bipartisan drafting process that also included Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the full HELP committee, and Sens. Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), ranking members on the full committee and subcommittee, respectively.  While an exact timeframe is not included in the article, it is believed that the bill could receive consideration  - at the committee level at least – as early as next month. The article suggests that sponsors expect the measure to receive fairly easy passage through the full Senate; however, given the recent focus on spending cuts and program consolidation on the House side, it seems unlikely that chamber will accept the Senate version in its current form, making it difficult to assess prospects for a final bill during this Congress.

National Skills Coalition will continue to monitor developments on WIA reauthorization, and provide updates as soon as new information becomes available.