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Chicago, IL 60605
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Tradeswomen
Now and Tomorrow (TNT)
A
national coalition of tradeswomen's organizations and advocates
WANTO Funding Restored in FY2006
Letter from Lauren Sugerman, TNT Board Member
13 January 2006
Dear colleagues:
We have great news about the Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional
Occupations Act (WANTO). WANTO funding ($982,000) has been restored in
the final 2006 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill. This is particularly remarkable
given that the Labor-HHS bill was quite contentious this time around,
with significant reductions in funds in a number of areas. First enacted
in 1992 as the result of successful local initiatives and national policy
work, the WANTO program, the only national stream of funding directed
to support women in nontraditional occupations, has been critically important
to tradeswomen groups and our industry partners in supporting programs
to recruit and retain tradeswomen. Unfortunately, it was eliminated from
the DOL budget in 2004 and TNT and our colleagues have been fighting
since then for its restoration.
Senators Specter (R-PA), Regula (R-OH), and Harkin (D-IA) with their
staff, Tradeswomen Now and Tomorrow (TNT), and WOW, serving as chair
of the TNT Policy Committee were the primary actors in moving this effort
forward.
WANTO has been responsible for awarding 60 technical assistance grants
to employers, nonprofit community-based organizations and labor unions
to help them recruit, train and retain women for non-traditional, high-wage/high-demand
jobs. These are the jobs that we know employers are looking to fill but
for which there are not enough trained workers. Annual appropriations
of approximately $1 million were made for WANTO until 2003. For FY 2004,
funding of $993,000 was appropriated for WANTO grants but, due to the
small amount of funds involved, there was not a specific WANTO line item
in the legislation. However, report language indicated Congress’ intent
that WANTO grants be funded at this level in FY 2004. Unfortunately,
the USDOL Women’s Bureau, which is responsible for administering
WANTO grants, failed to initiate a grant process, and indicated
on its website that it did not intend to fund WANTO activities. The new conference
report (see below) has language we believe will prevent that from happening
again.
Much thanks to TNT members and colleagues for your efforts on behalf
of this important program. TNT will send a big thank-you letter to Chairman
Regula on the House side, and to Chairman Specter and Sen. Harkin on
the Senate side. We encourage you to do the same to policymakers that
you contacted. We especially want to laud the efforts of TNT Board members
Kathy Augustine from Hard Hatted
Women and Linda Butler of TOP/WIN in
Philadelphia who were instrumental in getting this money restored. Proof
that advocacy and our programs' visibility with policymakers is key.
We also appreciate the great leadership provided by Joan Kuriansky who
leads TNT's policy committee and her organization, Wider
Opportunities for Women for their tremendous efforts. And we tip our hardhats to our
savvy and vigilant policy consultant, Kathy Patrick, whose strategic
thinking and consistent and tenacious follow-through kept the pressure
on.
Next TNT and WOW will be working with DOL to ensure they do a good grant
process. And, believe it or not, we'll soon need to talk with the appropriation
staff about the 2007 appropriations. For now, though, yay for us! Wins
are pretty rare these days -- this one is worth celebrating.
Lauren
Lauren Sugerman
for Tradeswomen Now and Tomorrow
President, Chicago Women in Trades
1455 South Michigan, Suite 210
Chicago, IL 60605
312-942-1444 x214
www.chicagowomenintrades.org
From House Report
Mr. REGULA , from the committee on conference,
submitted the following CONFERENCE REPORT
[To accompany H.R. 3010]
The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the
two Houses on the amendment of the Senate to the bill (H.R. 3010)
''making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and
Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes'', having met,
after further full and free conference, have agreed to recommend and
do recommend to their respective Houses as follows:
That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment
of the Senate, and agree to the same with an amendment, as
follows:
In lieu of the matter stricken and inserted by said amendment,
insert:
That the following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the Departments of Labor,
Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes,
namely:
TITLE I—DEPARTMENT OF
LABOR
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION
TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
(INCLUDING RESCISSIONS)
For necessary expenses of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998,
the Denali Commission Act of 1998, and the Women in Apprenticeship
and Non-Traditional Occupations Act of 1992 …
TITLE I—DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION
TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
(INCLUDING RESCISSIONS)
… The conference agreement provides $2,000,000 for other National
Activities as proposed by the House, instead of $3,458,000 as
proposed by the Senate. Of
this amount, $982,000 is for carrying
out Public Law 102–530, the Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations Act of 1992…
From Senate Report
Technical Assistance- The Committee recommends $3,458,000 for the provision of technical assistance and staff development, an increase of $1,458,000 over the budget request and House allowance, but the same as the program year 2005 level. This includes $982,000 for technical assistance to employers and unions to assist them in training, placing, and retraining women in nontraditional jobs and occupations, as authorized under the Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations Act of 1992, Public Law 102-530; this amount is specified in bill language, to prevent its being diverted to other purposes. …