As the nation slowly recovers from the worst recession since the Great Depression and unemployment remains high, job training programs face a dual threat this year. Members of Congress need to hear from their constituents that job training is important to our economic recovery. At a time when unemployment remains high, these resources are an important part of the nation’s economic recovery and job creation effort.
READ MORE from Act Now to Protect Job Training Programs from Budget Cuts
As the president lays out the priorities for the administration during his second-term and a new Congress reconvenes with its own agenda, now is the time to let your voice be heard and to speak up for those groups who were not referenced. Sign up for Goodwill’s Legislative Action Center to contact your members of Congress. Share the alerts and updates with your own networks, and educate other stakeholders about how the acts of Congress will affect Goodwill. Let’s make sure the important groups overlooked in the State of the Union are not forgotten as Congress considers these cuts.
READ MORE from Stand Up for People, Priorities Overlooked in the State of the Union Address
As the nation slowly recovers from the worst recession since the Great Depression, and concerns about the deficit remain front and center, some policymakers are tempted to consolidate the workforce system in the name of reform. While a case can be made that broad consolidation would lead to some savings and efficiencies, I believe — especially because several key laws are due for Congressional review — the current dialogue must shift from consolidation to promoting integration and collaboration among existing resources and programs.
READ MORE from Unemployment: Are We Treating Symptoms or the Patient?
Millions of classic movie lovers will recall the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray, in which his egocentric character is doomed to repeat February 2 day after day. Just a couple hundred miles to the southeast in Washington, policymakers are living a real-life political version of the 1993 movie classic.
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) provides critical tax relief for low income workers and working people with disabilities. Goodwill strongly supports the EITC and is cosponsoring an event on Thursday, January 24, on Capitol Hill that will help educate policymakers and congressional staff about the importance of this key credit for American workers.
READ MORE from Earned Income Tax Credit: Providing a Path to Self Sufficiency
As we reflect on the legacy of another reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the first family has called on Americans to continue the tradition they began four years ago with a National Day of Service. Goodwill Industries International is honored to answer that call. Here are some ideas for how you can make a difference through Goodwill on the National Day of Service and throughout the year.
READ MORE from Ways to Serve Your Community through Goodwill®
As we reflect on the legacy of another reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the first family has called on Americans to continue the tradition they began four years ago with a National Day of Service. Goodwill Industries International is honored to answer that call. Here are some ideas for how you can make a difference through Goodwill on the National Day of Service and throughout the year.
READ MORE from Ways to Serve Your Community through Goodwill®
Inside the Beltway, “compromise” has become a 4-letter word, resulting in ongoing gridlock and Congressional approval ratings at record lows. Especially with the economic recovery still fragile, important decisions – and indecisions for that matter – made during the new 113th Congress will have significant long-term implications.
READ MORE from Impending Policy Decisions Are More Important than Ever
While Congress may have averted the fiscal cliff for now, the new Congress will have its work cut out for it with a number of diverse policy issues vying for attention. In the midst of these discussions, organizations like Goodwill continue to take advantage of opportunities to educate new members about our mission of providing job training and other community based programs to people with barriers to employment.
READ MORE from Goodwill® Previews Issues on the Public Policy Front in 2013
Last week, Speaker of the House John Boehner’s so-called “Plan B” failed to attract sufficient Republican support. Members of Congress soon headed home for the Christmas holiday with the nation’s economic future still in question. Will congressional leaders and President Obama find a way to agree to a deficit reduction deal that averts a plunge over the fiscal cliff? Or will we take that plunge? While the question about the fiscal cliff remains uncertain, Goodwill has been on the front lines since 1902, working to build stronger communities, and it will continue to urge Congress to protect investments that leverage Goodwill’s efforts to help people find jobs and advance in careers.
We hope this blog serves as a way to educate and inform Goodwill® shoppers, donors, program participants and staff among others, about the hot topics affecting our agency and the people we serve. In the new year, we hope to continue to be a valuable resource to our stakeholders, garner more grassroots support, and advance Goodwill Industries’ legislative agenda. We would love to learn more about the types of information you would like to see on this page and how you feel you can be an effective advocate. Please take our short survey to give us your feedback.
READ MORE from Goodwill® Advocates: What’s Important to You in 2013?
We hope this blog serves as a way to educate and inform Goodwill® shoppers, donors, program participants and staff among others, about the hot topics affecting our agency and the people we serve. In the new year, we hope to continue to be a valuable resource to our stakeholders, garner more grassroots support, and advance Goodwill Industries’ legislative agenda. We would love to learn more about the types of information you would like to see on this page and how you feel you can be an effective advocate. Please take our short survey to give us your feedback.
READ MORE from Goodwill® Advocates: What's Important to You in 2013?
