Congress wrapped up the FY16 appropriations season last month when the Senate passed massive legislation that combined the FY16 omnibus spending bill and a large tax cut package both previously passed by the House. President Obama signed both measures into law shortly afterwards, ensuring all government agencies will be funded through September 2016.
Overview of Provisions (1/11)
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AFOP observes this 33rd Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday with a rededication to our continuing fight for equality and justice for struggling migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families. In our advocacy over the past five decades, we have strived to ensure that all farmworkers, many of whom have emigrated from low-income countries like Haiti, Myanmar, Honduras or Guatemala, have equal opportunity and access to the American dream – justice, education, government resources, health services, and economic opportunities. AFOP Press Release (1/18)
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From the Executive Director's Desk
States are stepping up their planning in response to the new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Opportunity Act). In other news, the Urban Institute last month convened an on-line forum featuring leaders from workforce, employers, and other organizations to discuss employer engagement in the new Opportunity Act era.
Read AFOP Article (1/16)
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The 2015 winners for AFOP's annual Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Children Essay and Art Contests have been selected. The theme for this year’s contest was Planting Hope for our Future Blooms, and children from across the country composed essays and created pictures expressing hopes and dreams for a bright future and describing the challenges they and their families face in the fields.
AFOP Announcement (12/3)
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How many immigrants are participating in federal workforce development programs? A new fact sheet from the Workforce Data Quality Campaign and National Skills Coalition provides an overview of the current landscape, and makes recommendations for how to improve federal workforce program data on immigrants.
Overview of Provisions (1/11)
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In the Meantime, a new brief from National Skills Coalition, lays out a variety of options for funders interested in supporting immigrant skill building. The brief responds to the question: What can funders do while immigration legislation is stalled in Congress and the proposed Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program is tied up in court? National Skills Coalition (12/15)
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The United States is undergoing a historic demographic shift, with people of color expected to make up a majority of the population by 2044. Despite the seemingly long trajectory of these changes, the political implications are already being felt.The most significant of these shifts is the sharp increase in the number of Latino voters and their share of the electorate. Center for American Progress Action Fund (12/9)
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A new report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers finds that while SNAP is highly effective at reducing food insecurity, benefit levels are often inadequate to sustain families through the end of the month — causing children to go hungry and endangering their health, educational performance, and life chances. White House Report (12/15)
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U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Food Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon issued an official communication to state SNAP agency commissioners urging them to incorporate job-driven elements into their SNAP employment and training (E&T) programs. The communication identified skill-building for SNAP participants as one of USDA’s top priorities. National Skills Coalitions (12/18)
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The University of Arkansas at Monticello-College of Technology at McGhee (UAM-CTM) and the Arkansas Human Development Corporation (AHDC) recently created a partnership to provide Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training for residents of southeast Arkansas. Arkansas Human Development Corporation
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This brief highlights themes and action steps drawn from a roundtable on Two-Generational Strategies to Improve Immigrant Family and Child Outcomes, hosted by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, on April 23-24, 2015 in Washington, D.C. CLASP Brief (12/2)
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Apprenticeships might not be the silver bullet in reducing youth unemployment, but the evidence suggests that a "earn as you learn" system can boost earnings and provide a foot in the door for young people who enter the workforce shortly after high school graduation. George Knowles, American Youth Policy Forum (11/30)
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Bread for the World has released new information detailing hunger and poverty rates among Hispanics in the United States. The data shows that Hispanics have much higher rates of both poverty and food insecurity than the general population. Bread for the World Press Release (12/10)
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East of Salinas, which premiered on PBS December 28, brings us into California’s “Steinbeck Country” to meet Jose, a bright young student who tries to remain optimistic about his future despite being the undocumented son of migrant farmworkers. Jose [who spells his name without accent mark] is helped greatly by his caring teacher Oscar, once a migrant farm kid himself. As the nation debates immigration reform what happens to Jose tells a deeper story about America in the early 21st century. View Documentary
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Safety net programs reduced the number of otherwise-poor people by 42 percent in 2014. In sharp contrast, safety net programs cut the number of otherwise-poor people by just a little more than 4 percent in 1967, the first year for which this data is available. Center on Budget & Policy Priorities (1/4)
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The AFOP Washington Newsline (ISSN# 1056-8565) is produced by the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP), a national federation of agencies serving migrant and seasonal farmworkers. AFOP’s mission is to improve the quality of life for migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families by providing advocacy for the member organizations that serve them.
The publication is funded by subscriptions and the members of AFOP. The Washington Newsline receives no financial support from the federal government. Staff may be reached by calling (202) 828-6006.
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