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In this
issue:
Greg
Newton Teleconference:
Designing and Delivering Responsive
Business Services
MWCA is pleased to host the third session of the
three-part teleconference series presented by Greg Newton. This session will take place:
The new workforce system
recognizes businesses as prime customers and partners. Some workforce areas
have formed integrated business service teams to provide comprehensive
business services and many are striving to do so. When you shift to true
business services, you focus on much, much more than just getting job orders
and marketing your menu of services. System business representatives listen
to needs and develop responsive, system-wide customized solutions; provide
meaningful workforce intelligence so businesses can meet their human resource
needs; and act as champions of change to ensure service delivery responds to
aggregate business demand.
You will
learn:
Tuesday, April 11, 2006 Association of Minnesota Counties Board
Room Please RSVP by Thursday, April 6, 2006 if you plan to attend: aolson@mncounties.org or (651) 224-3344
DVDs of the past two sessions, “Creating and Implementing a New
Workforce Vision” and “Reinventing Your One-Stop System and
Centers” are available to anyone who would like to borrow them. Please contact
MWCA Day at the State Capitol TOMORROW!
Wednesday, March 22, 2006 has been designated as MWCA’s
Day at the Capitol. This provides
an opportunity for Board members and staff to talk with legislators about
issues of importance to
More information about MWCA’s Day at the
Capitol and Legislative Priorities can be found on the website:
http://www.mncounties3.org/mwca/Legislative/Legislative.htm
Federal Budget Update MWCA
Members Join Efforts to Educate the
Effects of the Administration’s Budget Proposal
Several MWCA
members who attended the National Association of Workforce Boards Conference
in MWCA’s Chair Trish Taylor also joined GWDC Chair Cyndi Lesher, EDAM Chair Rebecca Kurtz, and DEED Staff Bonnie Elsey in sending correspondence to the Minnesota
Delegation encouraging them to restore the cuts to Workforce Investment and
Employment Services funding. US Senate:
In a big victory for domestic spending
priorities, the Senate voted last Thursday 51-49 in favor of a budget
resolution that essentially provides $16.5 billion more in discretionary
spending than the President’s proposed cap of $873 billion.
The resolution includes an amendment
proposed by Senators Specter (R-PA) and Harkin (D-IA) that provides $7
billion in “advance” appropriations for Functions 500, 550, and
600 of the federal budget, which comprise all programs within the purview of
the Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee. That amendment
was approved earlier in the day on a strong bi-partisan vote of 73-27. While
the Specter-Harkin amendment does not technically add dollars to the budget
cap, it has the effect of making room
later in the appropriations process for increased spending in the Senate
Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. Thank
you to all of the WIB members and staff who contacted the Senator Mark Dayton Senator Norm
Coleman
Consideration
of the House Budget Resolution has been delayed until the end of the month,
as a markup would not likely have passed out of Committee earlier this month.
House Republicans are in the midst of a difficult fight within the party
between the conservative branch of the party called the Republican Study
Committee (RSC), which is comprised of over 100 House Republicans, and
moderate Members. The RSC introduced a budget proposal to cut nearly $650
billion over the next five years, while moderates, who comprise about 50
House Members, are concerned that the Bush budget proposal already cuts too
deeply in key domestic priorities.
NGA ANNOUNCES TASK
FORCE ON TANF Pawlenty
Appointed to Join Colleagues in Developing Recommendations for HHS
Last week, the National Governors Association (NGA) announced an
8-member Task Force on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
The Task Force, led by NGA
Chairman Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and NGA Vice Chair Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, was
created to assist the Department of Health and Human Services as it develops
the regulations necessary to implement the newly reauthorized program. Governors hope to ensure that any
regulations by HHS enable states to maximize state flexibility and build upon
their past successes.
In addition to Governor Pawlenty, members of the Task Force include: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger; Nevada
Gov. Kenny Guinn; New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine;
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell; and Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire.
“Ten years ago, governors
worked with Congress to reform the nation’s welfare system,” said
Huckabee. “A cornerstone of that
partnership was the ability of states to implement innovative approaches and
initiatives to assist families in need through greater state flexibility.
Governors want to ensure the state-federal TANF partnership
continues.”
“The work of this task
force will be critical to ensuring state flexibility, a basic tenet of
welfare reform, is continued in the TANF program,” said
Napolitano. “Governors are committed to assisting needy families
in reaching self-sufficiency through work, and the recommendations we develop
will ensure we are successful in that endeavor.”
TANF was recently reauthorized
for 5 years in the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005.
MWCA will work with the Minnesota Department of Human Services to make
recommendations to Governor Pawlenty as the US Department
of Health and Human Services moves forward with regulations.
Commissioner Matt Kramer
Announces Upcoming Departure from DEED In an
email letter to DEED on Friday, Matt Kramer announced he will be leaving the
agency and returning to the private sector as of April 3. The announcement by Governor Pawlenty follows: DEED
COMMISSIONER MATT KRAMER LEAVING FOR POSITION IN PRIVATE SECTOR -- March 17,
2006 Governor
Pawlenty announced today that Commissioner Matt
Kramer of the Department of Employment and Economic Development is leaving
his administration to return to the private sector effective April 3, 2006.
Deputy Commissioner Ward Einess will serve as
Acting Commissioner. Einess previously was a Senior
Policy Advisor to Governor Pawlenty on economic and
employment issues. "Matt
has been an outstanding leader for our administration and a strong
contributor to the economic success we have enjoyed," Governor Pawlenty said. "He has been a fantastic public
servant for Kramer
will be joining Now Care Medical Centers, a Minnesota-based healthcare
provider. Now Care operates seven walk-in medical clinics, six in the Twin
Cities metro area and one in Before
joining the Pawlenty Administration in January
2003, Kramer worked for Syntegra
Save the Date! MWCA’s Annual Summer Meeting will be held in
If you wish to be
added or removed from this distribution list, you may request to do so by
e-mailing aolson@mncounties.org.
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