Hope Springs Anew in D.C.—or Is It April Fools?

This week marked two significant events that herald in spring—April Fools’ Day and opening day of the baseball season. One is a day to play tricks and pranks on unsuspecting targets. The other is a buoyant time when every fan’s favorite team is ripe with hope for the new season and an October playoff series.

As spring blooms in Washington and the cherry blossoms come to life, Congress begins one of its busiest periods. The question is, are the hopes of spring to be realized with the passage of long delayed legislation like the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), benefits for the long-term unemployed and timely consideration of FY 2015 spending bills? Or, are we being set up for a Congressional April Fools’ joke?

Regarding the 13 spending bills on the table, both the House and Senate Appropriations Committee chairs have pledged to move them quickly, and hearings have already begun on spending for key programs like employment programs, where our focus is on adequate funding for the WIA adult, dislocated worker and youth funding streams; community college partnerships; and the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). In addition, Goodwill is very interested in the Administration’s Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative (OGSI). This includes funding for the Community College Job-Driven Training Fund, funding to restore prior cuts in job training and employment services, increased investments for innovation and targeted resources for populations that face significant barriers to employment. Goodwill applauds the Administration for including funding for the New Careers Pathway Program and Job-Driven Training for Youth and Long-Term Unemployed. While funding for these new initiatives is unlikely, they do indicate a renewed focus on employment issues.

On unemployment legislation, where April Fools’ came early to America’s long-term unemployed back in January, it finally looks as though the Senate will achieve a bipartisan bill. It will take up legislation that would extend unemployment benefits to the long-term unemployed for five months, though May 31, 2014, retroactive to December 2013. However, there is doubt the House will pass the bill, much less take it up for vote.

And finally, Goodwill has learned that the House Education and Workforce Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee are pushing to find common ground on their very different WIA reauthorization bills. While a deal might still be elusive, the fact that both sides are talking is good news.

Stay tuned, because even if you’re not a baseball fan, this is when hope springs eternal—or at least until the All-Star break. Of course, all of these initiatives could fall though—and then the joke is on us.