This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to advance its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. The annual spending measure proposes funding levels for many of the federal workforce development programs that help support the training and employment services offered by local Goodwill® organizations.
READ MORE from Senate Committee Approves Workforce Funding Bill
Initially announced by First Lady Jill Biden in May at an invite only event attended by Goodwill Industries International, the Biden administration has begun hosting kickoff events for Workforce Hub cities. The hubs will bring together employers, labor, worker groups, community colleges, k-12, NGOs, and local governments to create new sectoral partnerships to scale quality training pathways to ensure a diverse and skilled workforce can meet the demand for labor. The first five hubs include: Baltimore, MD; Phoenix, AZ; Columbus, OH; Pittsburgh, PA; and Augusta, GA. There are plans to replicate the work with partners across the country.
Congress returned to DC following a two-week recess around the 4th of July and there are few legislative days left before they break again for the August recess. Both chambers have long lists of priority legislation that they would like to advance before they depart.
The House Education and Labor Committee recently held a hearing titled “Competencies Over Degrees: Transitioning to a Skills-Based Economy” that examined how federal policies could help facilitate skills-focused education and hiring. In her opening statement, Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) argued for building up alternative pathways for learning and skills attainment, as well as prioritizing skills-based hiring across industry sectors and occupations.
READ MORE from House Committee Examines Skills-based Pathways to Good Jobs
Goodwill Industries International (GII) representatives joined other stakeholders for a Nonprofit Partnerships Summit at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Officials from the Commerce Department and other federal agencies shared information about their programs, resources, technical assistance, and funding opportunities for nonprofit partners to explore.
READ MORE from Nonprofit Partnerships Summit Highlights New Federal Funding Opportunities
The lack of affordable high-speed internet service in many households has made it difficult for millions of Americans to access virtual learning, find jobs, and participate in the digital economy. Data from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration shows that about one in five U.S. households have no home internet connection. Moreover, historically underserved populations and communities are most acutely impacted by the nation’s digital divide. The Pew Research Center finds that around 40 percent of adults with lower incomes do not have home broadband service or a computer, one quarter of black teenagers say they are at least sometimes unable to complete their homework due to a lack of digital access, and 25 percent of adults ages 65 and older report never going online.
READ MORE from Join the Affordable Connectivity Week of Action
A group of bipartisan lawmakers including Reps. Blake Moore (R-UT), Danny Davis (D-IL), Michele Steel (R-CA) and Chris Pappas (D-NH) recently introduced the Charitable Act (HR 3435) in the House. An identical version of the Senate bill (S 566), the bill would allow all taxpayers, including non-itemizers, to deduct up to one-third of the value
After weeks of negotiations between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy, Congress passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act days before the June 5 deadline for defaulting on the US debt limit.
Since 1963, Older Americans Month (OAM) has been observed every May to recognize the many contributions that older adults have made to our country and in their communities. Led by the Administration for Community Living, organizations, service providers, policymakers, community and business leaders, and individuals are celebrating OAM 2023 with the theme of Aging Unbound. OAM offers an opportunity to explore a wide range of aging experiences and how we all benefit when older adults remain engaged, independent, and included.
Goodwill Industries International representatives joined other stakeholders for an invitation only event focusing on how to leverage investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS), and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to develop talent pipelines and career pathways.
READ MORE from New Workforce Initiatives Announced at Department of Labor’s Vision 2030 Conference
As the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) officially comes to an end, nonprofits may receive questions from program participants regarding the continuation of a number of benefits put in place during the pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, states and the federal government declared various types of emergencies, enacted multiple laws and issued numerous regulations. Some of these measures were tied directly to the (PHE) and therefore ended jointly.
Every year during the first full week of May, local Goodwill® organizations across the U.S. and Canada celebrate Goodwill Week to shine a light on the Goodwill mission — transforming lives through the power of work.
