On Thursday April 11, Goodwill leaders, employees, board members and program participants from across the United States will travel to Capitol Hill to advocate for the issues that matter most to local Goodwill organizations and the people they serve. For those who are unable to travel to D.C., Goodwill Industries International (GII) will be hosting a Virtual Advocacy Day.
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Every March, I put my hopes and dreams in the hands of college basketball players. My bracket is complete and I'm excited to see which teams make it to the final four (shout out to Rutgers' women for making it to the dance!). It's not just March Madness in the sports world, but it's also March Madness on Capitol Hill.
This week, the White House released President Trump’s budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. This document outlines the Administration's spending priorities for the coming fiscal year, including federal programs that support education, workforce training, and human services.
The American Workforce Policy Advisory Board held its first meeting at the White House. Established through an executive order signed by President Trump in 2018, the Board is comprised of leaders from the private sector, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and state governments. The group will provide recommendations to the interagency National Council for the American Worker on ways to promote career education, workforce training, apprenticeships, and other work-based learning opportunities.
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Goodwill® works to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work. The focus areas of the public policy agenda (Employment and Skills Attainment, Economic Mobility, and Nonprofit Social Enterprise) support Goodwill’s mission.
The National Governor’s Association is meeting in Washington, DC this week, providing an opportunity for Governors to lead and participate in discussions on topics such as child welfare, resiliency against disaster, education reform, entrepreneurship and more. Nearly every one of the nation’s Governors have provided their State of the State addresses to their constituents and many touched on these topics.
It’s Valentine’s Day, but we’re not feeling the love for the newly reached agreement to avoid another government shutdown. Of course no one wanted the government to close again and we’re pleased that a crisis has likely been averted, but the legislative text of the agreement could have served as a vehicle to help those who are still trying to recover from the aftermath of the longest government shutdown in history.
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After being initially postponed due to the federal government shutdown, President Trump delivered his official State of the Union address on February 5th. Among the special guests invited to attend the speech was Justina Pettway, who works as a custodian in the Russell Senate Office Building through Goodwill of Greater Washington’s participation in the AbilityOne program.
As the country tries to recover from the longest federal government shutdown in history, hundreds of thousands of federal employees are expected to receive back-pay. However, hundreds of thousands of federal contractors will not receive such relief to ease the burdens of missed paychecks, unless Congress intervenes.
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Many of us enjoyed a paid federal holiday recently as we reflected on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Imagine if you had to work that day and did not receive any pay. Imagine if you had to go to work since December 22nd without receiving pay. Imagine if you didn’t have to go to work, but you weren’t getting paid and you don’t know when you’ll be able to return to your job. For 800,000 employees in addition to an estimated 500,000 federal contractors and their collective families, they do not have to imagine these scenarios. This is the reality they face along with the challenges of how to make ends meet.
January is National Youth Mentoring Month. I’ve been fortunate to have a number of mentors in my life including family, teachers, friends and colleagues who have all helped me advance in my career, overcome challenges, or provided another perspective on something I may have been struggling with. In addition to being a mentee, I’ve had the privilege of serving as a mentor to assist young professionals who are interested in a career in government relations.
At the time of this writing, we are heading into the longest government shutdown in history. While technically it is a partial shutdown with nine federal government agencies and various independent agencies closed, the impact is being fully felt for hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors who aren’t being paid, and may not receive back pay.
