Yesterday, House and Senate leadership unveiled the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), a bipartisan and bicameral bill that would finally reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). A quick read confirms that priority positions advocated by Goodwill are reflected in the final deal
READ MORE from Long-Delayed Workforce Investment Act Bill Makes Its Way Toward the End Zone
This week, Goodwill advocates from around the country will visit Capitol Hill and meet with hundreds of lawmakers to advocate on behalf of Goodwill. You can help by participating in Goodwill on the Hill Virtual Advocacy Day!
READ MORE from Join the Goodwill® on the Hill Virtual Advocacy Day!
U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez compared programs that help people find family-sustaining careers to apps on a smartphone or tablet. Whether you are a person in need of a job or a community stakeholder who understands that work is an effective anti-poverty tool, there’s an app for that called Goodwill.
When Liz Morris began to lose her vision, she lost her independence. Not one to give up in light of a challenge, she gained the knowledge needed to begin her new life. After 10 years of unemployment Liz reached out to Goodwill for help to jumpstart her professional career.
Goodwill® agencies around the country have joined the efforts to promote October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. As the month comes to an end, you have the opportunity to continue to support the rights of people with disabilities by urging your Senator to support the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
READ MORE from Act Now to Support the Rights of People with Disabilities
Once again, Congressional leaders have reached a temporary last-minute deal to avert economic Armageddon. In other words, with Congress punting the ball, the game has been extended into another overtime period. While the media’s focus on these political dramas appears like bad reality TV, the real-world realities are felt in local communities served by Goodwill® agencies. From employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities, veterans services, low-income housing, income tax assistance programs and more, local Goodwill agencies, their employees, and the people Goodwill serves are experiencing the pinch caused by the recent government shutdown.
READ MORE from Congress Averts Economic Armageddon, but Shutdown Impacts Felt by Communities
Goodwill NDEAM Fashion Show 1Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey (Astoria) held its second annual fashion show to kick off National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) on October 1 at the agency’s East Harlem store. Goodwill Suits You 2013 was coordinated in conjunction with the New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities using merchandise selected from local Goodwill stores by six popular fashion bloggers.
Yesterday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted 18-3 to advance bipartisan legislation (S. 1356) to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). WIA was enacted in 1998, and has not since been reauthorized. As a result, the law is long overdue for an update. Goodwill supports the bill as written and is urging the Senate to quickly bring the bill to the Senate floor.
News of the newest addition to Britain’s royal family has been the most anticipated event since we wondered who shot JR. This week, we learned of yet another much anticipated, if somewhat less newsworthy, event—the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s plan to consider the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act of 2013 (WIA) – S.1356 — next week.
READ MORE from Senate Committee Vote on WIA Expected Next Week
It has been 15 years since Congress enacted the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), the nation’s primary job training law. Back then, the U.S. had a budget surplus and the unemployment rate was 4.4 percent. Today, the nation is slowly recovering from the worst recession experienced in a generation and unemployment is stubbornly declining from the peak it reached during that time. Needless to say, the law is long overdue for an update. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing today to consider how WIA could be improved to better develop a skilled workforce for a competitive economy.
READ MORE from Senate Panel Holds Hearing on Improving Workers’ Skills
