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NSC, 920 orgs call for Labor-HHS investments.
April 22, 2013
920 national, state and local organizations, including the National Skills Coalition recently wrote to House and Senate appropriators urging them to prioritize funding for health, education, job training, and social services programs in the 2014 appropriations cycle.

MN House Approves Funding for Fast TRAC
April 18, 2013
As part of a larger jobs and workforce development bill, the Minnesota House of Representatives approved $5 million in state general revenue to support Fast TRAC, an integrated learning program for low-skill adult learners to build basic skills and earn occupational certificates and credits.

President's budget invests in skills.
April 18, 2013
President Obama today released his fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget proposal. The President’s budget would roll back the harmful sequester, and make new investments in skills. National Skills Coalition has prepared a preliminary analysis.

Colorado Career Pathways Proposals Advance.
April 12, 2013
A bill to blend education and skills programs to help the unemployed rejoin Colorado’s workforce passed the Colorado House this week by a vote of 40 to 22. The bill is a key component of a package of bills to accelerate the state’s economy and connect Coloradans to good jobs.

Maryland investing $4.5M in workforce and skills.
April 11, 2013
This week, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, surrounded by legislative leaders, signed legislation to create jobs and expand opportunity for more Marylanders.

IA Senate approves ed and workforce funds.

April 10, 2013
With bipartisan support, the Iowa Senate has passed an appropriations bill that will make a $13.5 million investment in the skills of Iowans and help close the skills gaps.

SECTORS, WIA reform in “Make it in America”.
April 10, 2013
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) recently unveiled his “Make it in America” agenda for the 113th Congress, which includes substantial investments in workforce development.

Study shows prevalence of credentials.
April 9, 2013
A new national survey shows nearly 40% of U.S. adults hold some type of work-related, non-degree credential. NSC and the Workforce Data Quality Campaign note how little data is currently being collected about these credentials or their impact on employment, even though they outnumber four-year degrees.

Workforce funds likely cut for rest of 2013.
March 26, 2013
Workforce funding will be cut for the remainder of the fiscal year according to a notice put out last week by the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.

House and Senate pass differing 2014 budgets.
March 25
Last week, the House and Senate both passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 continuing resolution (CR), legislation to fund the government for the remaining six months of the fiscal year, avoiding a government shutdown.

'Skills' move front and center in Indiana debates.
March 25, 2013
UPDATE: Skills2Compete–Indiana Coalition has successfully advanced an amendment that authorizes the Indiana Department of Workforce Development to coordinate cross-agency credential measurement activities for the state.

Ohio Coalition Talks Sectors at Lobby Day.
March 21, 2013
On March 20, the Ohio Workforce Coalition held a lobby day at the State Capitol to educate state lawmakers on the power that sector or industry partnerships have on closing skill gaps and equipping workers with skilled credentials required by industries.

Skills gap is focus of governor's Talent Summit.
March 19, 2013
In his opening remarks, Michigan Governor Snyder noted that the state could bring down its unemployment rate 1.5 percent just by filling the 63,000 open positions currently being advertised on the job search engine managed by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

NSC supports Thomas Perez for Sec. of Labor.
March 15, 2013
National Skills Coalition strongly supports Thomas Perez as the next Secretary of the Department of Labor.

SKILLS Act passes the House.
March 15, 2013
On March 15, the House passed the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act (H.R. 803), which onsolidates 35 existing federal workforce programs into a single $6 billion Workforce Investment Fund.

Harkin offers Labor-H funding amendment to CR.
March 14, 2013
On March 13, Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations (Labor-H) subcommittee chairman Senator Harkin (D-IA) offered a full Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Labor-H Appropriations bill as an amendment to the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013 that would set explicit funding levels for programs that fall under the Labor-H subcommittee’s jurisdiction for the remainder of the fiscal year.

House passes legislation to block TANF Waivers.
March 14, 2013
On March 13, the House of Representatives passed the Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2013 (H.R. 890), which would block the Administration from exercising its waiver authority with regard to certain requirements under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. H.R. 890 would also extend the TANF block grant through December 31, 2013. The measure passed 246-181, with members voting primarily on party lines.

Senate budget includes training investments.
March 14, 2013
On March 13, Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) released her budget resolution for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014, which sets overall federal spending levels for Senate appropriators as they begin working on appropriations bills later this spring. Senator Murray’s budget includes new investments in job training programs, and would cancel sequestration.

House budget proposal includes workforce cuts.
March 12, 2013
On March 12, House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) introduced his Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 budget resolution. As with previous proposals, Ryan budget recommends imposing new time limits and work requirements on recipients of federal means-tested benefits, while at the same time proposing billions of dollars in cuts to the federal education and workforce programs that would help those individuals achieve self-sufficiency.

House WIA bill advances.
March 7, 2013
On March 6, the House Committee on Education & the Workforce marked-up its version of WIA reauthorization, the Supporting Knowledge and Investing Lifelong Learning (SKILLS) Act (HR 803), legislation introduced by Rep. Foxx (R-NC), Rep. McKeon (R-CA), and Rep. Heck (R-NV).

Iowa S2C policy agenda off to a strong start.
March 5, 2013
The Iowa Skills2Compete Coalition is off to a strong start in advancing its policy agenda. The state has recently seen a legislative hearing on adult literacy and the introduction of legislation to support adult basic education, career pathway programs, pathway navigators, and regional industry sector partnerships.

NSC WIA bill analyses in advance of mark-up.
March 4, 2013
On March 6, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce will mark up its WIA reauthorization bill—the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Learning (SKILLS) Act (H.R. 803). The bill, introduced by Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Joe Heck (R-NV), and Buck McKeon (R-CA), would consolidate 35 existing federal employment and training programs into a single $6 billion Workforce Investment Fund.

'Skills' move front and center in Indiana debates.
February 27, 2013
With the 2013 session of Indiana's General Assembly well underway, "skills" is moving to the center of the state's education and economic development policy debates. Newly sworn in Governor Mike Pence is backing two major bills to close Indiana's skills gap.

NSC releases Perkins Act issue brief.
February 25, 2013
In February, National Skills Coalition released an issue brief on reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act.

House Republicans release the SKILLS Act.
February 22, 2013
On February 21, Higher Education and Workforce Training subcommittee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC), along with Reps. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Joe Heck (R-NV) introduced the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act, legislation to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

Senate Dems unveil sequester replacement plan.
February 20, 2013
On February 15, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unveiled the Senate Democrats’ alternative to sequestration, The American Family Economic Protection Act. The $110 billion package would replace the FY 2013 sequesters with a combination of new revenue and spending cuts.

House Dems introduce WIA reauthorization bill.
February 19, 2013
Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA), Higher Education and Workforce Training subcommittee Ranking Member Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), and Rep. John Tierney – introduced the Workforce Investment Act of 2013, a bill to strengthen and modernize the nation’s workforce investment system.

Senate Dems unveil sequester replacement plan.

February 20, 2013
On February 15, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unveiled the Senate Democrats’ alternative to sequestration, The American Family Economic Protection Act. The $110 billion package would replace the FY 2013 sequesters with a combination of new revenue and spending cuts.

NSC releases updated sequester analysis.
February 19, 2013
On February 18, NSC released an updated version of Disinvesting in the Skills of America’s Workforce: The Potential Impact of Sequestration on Key Federal Employment and Training Programs, along with updated state-specific sequestration fact sheets. These new reports reflect changes made to sequestration by the January fiscal cliff deal.

Skills a national priority on both sides of the aisle.
February 18, 2013
Last week, investments in skills for America’s workers were in the spotlight as two of America’s leaders addressed the nation. NSC applauds both President Obama and Senator Marco Rubio for their commitment to building the skills of our workforce for the high-growth, high-wage jobs of the 21st century.

NSC response to 2013 State of the Union.

February 12, 2013

NSC Executive Director Andy Van Kleunen applauds President Obama for prioritizing a skilled workforce in his State of the Union address

Iowa Skills2Compete releases policy agenda.
February 1, 2013
Central Iowa Works, the newly formed Iowa Skills2Compete Coalition, has just released its policy agenda which includes recommendations to expand the state’s career pathways efforts.

Governors take the lead on workforce.
January 31, 2013
In the first few weeks of their state’s legislative sessions, three east coast Governors have taken the lead with significant state investment supporting employer led workforce solutions.

Report: State Sector Strategies Coming of Age.
January 16, 2013
On January 16, NSC, in partnership with the National Governors Association and the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, released a report that offers a snapshot of existing sector strategies and actions for policymakers to take to create and support partnerships that will get people back to work.

Fiscal cliff agreement has been reached.
January 2, 2013
On December 31, Senate leaders and the White House arrived at an agreement to avert the fiscal cliff.

NSC opposes further cuts to NDD programs.
December 20, 2012
On December 20, National Skills Coalition wrote to Members of the House of Representatives expressing strong opposition to H.R. 6684, the Spending Reduction Act of 2012, which would make additional deep cuts to NDD programs.

Indiana policymakers join Skills2Compete.
December 18, 2012
In the spirit of bi-partisanship, Indiana Republican State Senator Dennis Kruse and Democratic State Senator Karen Tallian spoke in support of the Skills2Compete–Indiana Coalition’s 2012-2014 Policy Platform which was unveiled during a press conference at the state’s Capitol and garnered widespread press coverage.

NSC to join panel of experts for Brookings event.
December 13, 2012
Update: Full video coverage of event now available.
December 4
On Wednesday, December 12, NSC Executive Director Andy Van Kleunen will join a panel of experts for “The Future of Federal Workforce Policy,” a discussion hosted by The Brookings Institution.

200 orgs tell Congress 'no more workforce cuts.
December 12, 2012
On December 12, National Skills Coalition joined with 200 organizations in sending a letter to Congress urging no further cuts to workforce programs.

42 Senators sign letter to preserve UI.
December 7, 2012
On November 30, 42 Senators wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urging the preservation of the expanded unemployment insurance (UI) programs, which are set to expire at the end of the year.

RI releases state employment and training plan.
November 29, 2012
Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee recently released a statewide biennial employment and training plan to be developed by a broad-based Advisory Council under the leadership of the Governor’s Workforce Board.

NDD Summit hosts hill briefing on sequesters.
November 19, 2012
On November 15, National Skills Coalition joined with other members of the NDD (non-defense discretionary) Summit to host It’s Worse Than You Think: The Impact of Continued Cuts to Core Programs and Services, a Capitol Hill briefing for congressional staff.

Pathways to Employment in America's Cities.
October 17, 2012
NSC released a new report today, Building Pathways to Employment in America’s Cities through Integrated Workforce and Community Development, which explores ways that federal policy can better support efforts to integrate physical and human capital investments in America’s cities.

Grants supporting manufacturing announced.
October 15, 2012
On October 9, the Obama Administration announced $20 million in awards under the Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge, a multiagency effort to support regional industry cluster initiatives that strengthen advanced manufacturing at the local level.

Sequestration impact in your state.
October 12, 2012
NSC has just released state-specific issue briefs detailing the potential impact of sequestration on key workforce development programs.

Bennet, Portman introduce CAREER Act.
September 27, 2012
On September 20, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced the Careers Through Responsive, Efficient and Effective Retraining (CAREER) Act (S. 3599), to improve the effectiveness of federal job training programs.

DOL awards community college grants.
September 25, 2012
On September 19, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced $500 million in capacity-building grants to community colleges and consortia of community colleges and universities to support education and job training aimed at dislocated workers.

Congress approves 6-month CR.
September 25, 2012
On September 22, Congress voted to approve H.J.Res. 117, the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013, which funds the government through March 2013.

House votes to block TANF improvements.
September 24, 2012
On September 20, 2012, the House of Representatives approved H.J.Res. 118, Providing for disapproval of the Administration’s July 12, 2012 Waiver of Welfare Work Requirements, legislation that would block Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) efforts to strengthen employment outcomes of TANF recipients.

CIAW hosts workforce webinar.
September 12, 2012
On September 5, nearly 600 individuals and 40 national organizations tuned into a Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce-sponsored webinar, Washington Update: Making the Case for Workforce Development, to discuss the budgetary and political landscape as it relates to workforce development programs.

MI report calls for skilling up adult workers.
August 21, 2012
In Michigan, a renewed call for greater public investments and expanded policies that skill up more adult workers to ensure the state’s economic growth and competitiveness has been sounded by the Michigan Workforce Development Coalition.

NSC releases sequester analysis.
August 16, 2012
On August 16, National Skills Coalition released an issue brief detailing the impact of the sequester on federal workforce development programs. Review some highlights.

Workforce funding win in MA.
August 16, 2012
On August 7, Massachusetts saw a major workforce win with the passage of the Economic Development and Job Bill.

Tierney requests sequester impact details.
August 14, 2012
On August 2, Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) requested information on how the sequesters would affect the DOL’s ability to administer employment and training programs.

Business leader, MOCs oppose cuts.
July 26, 2012
On July 25, NSC joined key Members of Congress and more than 300 individuals representing dozens of national coalitions on Capitol Hill for the Rally to Restore Balance: Protect America’s Families!

NSC joins Rally to Restore Balance.
July 24, 2012
NSC will join Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, employers, working parents, and numerous groups representing health, education, and labor priorities to call for a balanced approach to deficit reduction that avoids sequestration at a rally Wednesday in Upper Senate Park.

MA gets closer to workforce funding win.
July 24, 2012
This past week, Massachusetts got one step closer to aligning labor market information, pathways and bridge programs, and regional sector-based solutions to address the middle-skills gap in the state.

3000 orgs to Congress: "No more NDD cuts!"
July 16, 2012
On July 12, 3000 organizations delivered a letter to Congress urging policymakers to adopt a “balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further cuts to NDD programs.”

SOS! Save Our Skills.
July 13, 2012
NSC is set to launch a new campaign, SOS! Save Our Skills, in response to the threat of unprecedented cuts that will take effect in January 2013 due to the Budget Control Act.

DOL announces WIF grantees.
June 14, 2012
On June 14, the Department of Labor announced nearly $150 million in grants awarded under the Workforce Innovation Fund.

House WIA mark-up summary.
June 11, 2012
On June 7, the House Education and the Workforce Committee “marked-up” the Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012, a bill to reauthorize WIA. The bill was reported out of committee on a party-line vote of 23-15.

House WIA mark-up this week.
June 4, 2012
UPDATE 06.05.2012: The House Education and Workforce Committee has officially noticed this hearing, and the mark-up of H.R. 4297 will take place on Thursday, June 7.

The House Education and the Workforce Committee plans to mark-up its WIA reauthorization bill—the Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 (H.R. 4297)—this Thursday, June 7. In preparation for the mark-up, NSC sent a letter to the Committee outlining some of our main concerns with the bill.

Sectors Bill advances in California.
May 23, 2012
UPDATE: The California Senate passed SB 1401 shortly after it cleared the Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. The bill will now be considered by the State Assembly.

NSC seeks new Senior Policy Analyst.
May 14, 2012
NSC is seeking a Senior Policy Analyst, based in our Washington, DC headquarters. Read more for the full job description and application instructions.

Senate agriculture committee approves farm bill.
April 26, 2012
On April 26, the Senate Agriculture Committee voted 13-5 to pass a “Farm Bill” reauthorization that protects funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training (SNAP E&T) program, avoiding efforts from fiscal conservatives to reduce or even eliminate funding.

NSC partners with SparkAction, Jon Bon Jovi.
April 24, 2012
NSC is teaming up with SparkAction and Jon Bon Jovi on the Spark Opportunity Challenge, an exciting competition designed to engage youth in creating their own solutions for rebuilding pathways to jobs and education.

Reconciliation bill threatens SNAP E&T.
April 18, 2012
On April 18, the House Agriculture Committee approved a “reconciliation” bill that will eliminate nearly three-quarters of federal funding for the SNAP E&T program, reducing the availability of critical job training services for low‐skilled SNAP recipients. NSC sent a letter to Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN), urging them to reject the provision and instead work together to strengthen the program to better serve SNAP recipients.

NSC testifies at House hearing on WIA Bill.
April 17, 2012
NSC Executive Director Andy Van Kleunen testified at the House Education and the Workforce Committee Legislative Hearing on the Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 (H.R. 4297), primarily addressing areas of of the bill where NSC members have concerns and recommendations for improvement.

NSC releases analyses of HR 4297.
April 11, 2012
UPDATE: Chart of federal workforce and education programs that would be consolidated or eliminated under HR 4297 is now available.
On March 29, three House Republicans introduced the Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 (HR 4297), which essentially combines their three individual previously released WIA reauthorization bills. NSC has prepared analyses of Titles I, II and IV of the combined bill.

NY Times denounces workforce funding cuts.
April 10, 2012
On April 8, New York Times reporter Motoko Rich took up the issue of workforce development funding. A follow-up Times editorial criticizing job training cuts and the recently passed House budget resolution was printed the next day.

Senators offer support for workforce funding.
March 30, 2012
On March 29, 30 Senators joined in a bipartisan “Dear Colleague” letter urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to support critical investments in federal job training and education programs as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) took the lead in circulating the letter.

NSC urges House to reject Ryan budget.
March 29, 2012
On March 27, National Skills Coalition sent a letter to members of key House committees and leadership offices, urging them to reject the FY 2013 budget resolution introduced earlier this month by House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI).

NSC releases analysis of House Dems' WIA bill.
March 23, 2012
On March 20, key Democratic members of the House Education and the Workforce Committee introduced a bill to modernize and strengthen the nation’s public workforce system and ensure that all U.S. workers and businesses are able to get the skills they need to compete in today’s economy.

House budget proposes workforce cuts.
March 20, 2012
On March 20, House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) introduced his FY 2013 budget resolution, which recommends imposing new time limits and work requirements on recipients of federal means-tested benefits, while also proposing billions of dollars in cuts to the federal education and workforce programs that would help those individuals achieve self-sufficiency.

Colorado passes Skills for Jobs Act.
March 16, 2012
On March 14, the Colorado General Assembly passed the “Skills for Jobs Act” to align Colorado’s job openings with education and training outcomes and reduce the state’s skills gap.

WH announces dislocated worker proposal.
March 13, 2012
On March 12, the White House released preliminary details of a proposal to consolidate two major job training programs into a “Universal Dislocated Worker Program” that would provide job search assistance, training, and other benefits for up to million dislocated workers.

Senate rejects Coburn amendment.
March 9, 2012
The Senate voted yesterday to reject an amendment to the federal highway bill that would have required at least $10 billion in spending cuts across a range of federal agencies, potentially including the consolidation or elimination of federal workforce programs.

NSC releases SNAP E&T users' guide.
March 8, 2012
NSC is pleased to announce the release of “Moving Low-Skill SNAP recipients Toward Self-Sufficiency,” a publication designed to help the workforce field better understand and effectively implement SNAP E&T.

DOL announces H-1B grant awards.
February 23, 2012
The Department of Labor announced more than $183 million in grant awards to 43 public-private partnerships in 28 states to support education, training, and job placement services for workers in a range of in-demand industries.

New GAO report supports sector strategies.
February 20, 2012
The Government Accountability Office released a report that identifies sector-based partnerships as a vital workforce strategy for addressing the skill needs of workers and employers within local or regional economies.

NSC releases FY 2013 budget analysis.
February 16, 2012
NSC released an analysis of key workforce and education programs included in the President's FY 2013 budget request submitted on February 13.

New career pathways bill filed in Maryland.
February 16, 2012
Last week, a new career pathways bill was filed in Maryland’s General Assembly. The Workforce and Career Pathways Act proposes a $2 million Career Pathways Program in the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (DLLR), the state’s workforce agency.

Congress set to approve UI extension.
February 16, 2012
Congressional negotiators have reportedly reached agreement on an “extenders” package that would provide for year-long extensions of expanded federal unemployment insurance benefits, the payroll tax cut, and a provision to prevent Medicare reimbursements cuts for physicians. The vote could take place this weekend.

New FY 2013 federal funding audio update.
February 15, 2012
Register for National Skills Coalition’s next Federal Funding Audio Update on Wednesday, February 22 at 1:00 pm ET and join NSC’s federal policy team as they walk you through the President's budget request and offer insights and analysis about the future of federal workforce funding.

MN Governor calls for investments in skills.
February 10, 2012
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton demonstrated his commitment to skills, attending the quarterly board meeting of the Governor’s Workforce Development Council (GWDC) and acting on two key recommendations in the Council’s report.

Senators urge skills funding in FY 2013 budget.
February 8, 2012
On February 7, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and thirteen other Senators sent a joint letter to the President’s Office of Management and Budget, urging the Administration to ensure that the Fiscal Year 2013 budget request includes adequate investments in Pell Grants and job training and adult education programs under the Workforce Investment Act.

Ad campaign calls on Congress to do its job.
February 6, 2012
Last week, NSC launched a national ad campaign to raise the visibility of America’s skills gap and Congress’ role in closing it. The ad debuted today on the national stage in National Journal Daily, the premiere news source for policymakers in Washington, following a run in business magazines last week in Western Massachusetts, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and the Twin Cities.

President outlines college affordability plan.
February 2, 2012
On January 27, President Obama visited the University of Michigan to announce a set of proposals to address the rising costs of postsecondary education in order to meet a national goal of having the highest share of college graduates in the world.

New national campaign launches.
February 1, 2012
NSC is excited to announce the launch of the Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce, a national effort calling for greater and more effective federal investments in our nation’s skills so more U.S. businesses can find the skilled workers they need to compete globally, and so all U.S. workers can share in and contribute to our country’s economic prosperity.

NSC responds to President's SOTU address.
January 25, 2012
In his State of the Union Address, President Obama committed to training 2 million workers through a streamlined workforce system built on partnerships with businesses that are ready to hire. Read Andy Van Kleunen’s press statement responding to the President’s speech and calling for policies and investments that can make the President’s vision a reality.

Colorado Skills for Jobs Act introduced.
January 20, 2012
On January 8, a group of Colorado legislators, accompanied by members of the Skills2Compete-Colorado campaign announced the “Skills for Jobs Act”—an innovative proposal to align Colorado’s labor market openings with the graduates of the state’s workforce training programs.

When industry-based training is a public good.
January 17, 2012
Andy Van Kleunen responds to the January 8th New York Times cover story "Private Sector Gets Jobs Skills; Public Sector Gets Bill," arguing that states and the federal government should make smart public investments in skills with industry as a strong partner.

Advocates help restore Illinois’ MAP funding.
January 6, 2012
On December 2, Illinois advocates, led by Women Employed, scored a huge victory for low-income students, fighting for and winning the reinstatement of $33.5 million back into the state’s Monetary Award Program (MAP) for the current academic year.

White House announces summer jobs initiative.
January 6, 2012
On January 5, the White House announced a new “Summer Jobs+” initiative, which is intended to create up to 250,000 summer work experiences for disconnected youth at federal agencies and private employers this summer.

"Extenders" fight shapes up for February.
January 4, 2012
In one of their final moves before leaving for the holidays last month, Congress approved an “extenders” bill that temporarily reauthorized a range of federal policies and programs, including extended unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, the employee payroll tax holiday, and the TANF block grant to states. However, the bill only extends authorization through the end of February, setting up what is expected to be the next major showdown between the House and Senate.