Although the year has hardly begun, the script seems already written for a difficult year for the budget and subsequent appropriations bills. If so, we can likely expect lawmakers to resort this fall to some form of a continuing resolution (CR) and/or a post-election omnibus spending package to complete the final business of the 114th Congress. AFOP Article (3/14)
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The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda recently released the 2016 Hispanic Public Policy Agenda, its quadrennial blueprint for advancing the Latino community. It is being provided to all members of Congress, Administration officials, candidates for offices and many, many others. View 2016 Policy Agenda (2/26)
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JPMorgan Chase & Co. recently announced that in response to growing concern about youth unemployment nationwide, it will invest $75 million over the next 5 years in CTE programs that prepare students for their future. ACTE (2/5)
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The number of confirmed grain bin entrapments and incidents in other confined spaces on U.S. farms fell in 2015 to its lowest level in a decade, but it is likely that many such cases continue to go unreported, a Purdue Extension farm safety expert says. Purdue University (2/23)
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Looking beyond the election, budgetary concerns likely will play a major role in future farm and food policy debates. The release of the Congressional Budget Office’s latest outlook provides a good opportunity to put some budget issues in perspective. Columbia Tribune (2/6)
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Undocumented immigration has been a significant political issue in recent years, and is likely to remain so throughout and beyond the presidential election year of 2016. One reason for the high and sustained level of interest in undocumented immigration is the widespread belief that the trend in the undocumented population is ever upward. Journal on Migration and Human Security (1/21)
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The Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will consider whether President Obama exceeded his powers in trying to shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation, stepping into one of the most contentious topics in the nation’s political debate. Washington Post (1/19)
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In Memorial of Franklin Montgomery, Jr.
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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that 10 states have been selected to receive in-depth technical assistance as part of a new U.S. Department of Agriculture “SNAP to Skills” project. The selected states include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina and Tennessee. National Skills Coalition (3/3)
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The Senate voted to close an 85-year- old loophole that has allowed products derived from slavery or child labor to enter the country if in short supply, amid a new focus on slavery in the supply chains of global companies. Bloomberg News (2/11)
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Laura Ibañez and Greg Scheib Get a New Boss
Following Kim Vitelli’s recent promotion to Deputy Administrator of the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Office of Workforce Investment (OWI), ETA hired Steven Rietzke to serve as the new chief of the Division of National Programs, Tools, and Technical Assistance. Mr. Rietzke has been with the United States Department of Labor since 2006 when he joined the Business Relations Group (later the Division of Strategic Investments) within OWI. In 2012, he moved to ETA’s Office of Grants Management where he served as a grant officer. AFOP is pleased to welcome Mr. Rietzke to his new position and looks forward to working with him on crucial farmworker matters in the weeks and months ahead.
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If you will excuse the liberal expropriation from great western The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, AFOP still has no definitive word on when DOLETA will release the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) describing the 2016 National Farmworker Jobs Program grant competition. As soon as anything with respect to the FOA is official, AFOP will publicize it for all to see.
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While the recent East Coast blizzard snarled plans for many travelers across the country, a group of determined leaders of the workforce system made their way to Washington to begin a three-day discussion of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. DOL Blog (1/28)
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The Women's Bureau, in partnership with USDOL Office of Apprenticeship, recently held a listening session to discuss best practices in expanding apprenticeship opportunities to women and underrepresented populations. Numerous organizations across the country joined the call and shared their ideas on how the Office of Apprenticeship could use part of its recent funding to increase women's participation in apprenticeship programs. USDOL Women's Bureau (2/8)
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The USDOL Civil Rights Center (CRC) announced the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) updating the Section 188 WIOA Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Regulations (29 CFR Part 38). Section 188 prohibits discrimination against individuals in any program or activity that receives financial assistance under Title I of the WIOA as well as by the One-Stop partners listed in WIOA Section 121(b) that offer programs or activities through the One-Stop/American Job Center workforce development system.
Federal Register (1/28)
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AFOP’s Health & Safety Director, Melanie Forti, has been invited to become a member of the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC) Advisory Board because of her extensive knowledge and respected experience in the field of pesticide safety training. PERC is committed to the development, revision and update of pesticide safety resources to advance the protection of humans, communities, and ecosystems from the risk of pesticide poisonings, illness and injury. PERC and its academic sponsors, University of California-Davis and Oregon State University, believe it is critical that PERC Advisory Board representatives have the experience, knowledge, work, and skills – from both the training/education community and industry – so all voices have the opportunity to provide input on the updated pesticide safety resources. According to PERC, “Melanie is someone who will make valuable contributions to PERC’s mission.”
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AFOP Success Story
He had run out of places to look for a job and had asked nearly everyonehe knew for ideas. As the leaves just began to start changing,so did Michael’s luck. One of his friends told him about Telamon. Telamon - Virginia (February Issue)
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National Farmworker Awareness Week (NFAW) is a week of action for students and community members to raise awareness about farmworker issues on our campuses and in our communities. In 2016 we celebrate the 17th Annual National Farmworker Awareness Week to raise awareness about farmworker conditions and to honor their important contributions to us every day! Student Action with Farmworkers
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As part of AFOP Health and Safety Program's national effort to bring awareness to the work and lives of farmworkers in the United States, we are sponsoring a long-sleeved shirt drive throughout the country during NFAW. Many of AFOP’s member organizations are doing their part to raise awareness about the dangers farmworkers face working with pesticides and under the sun by participating in the drive. View Drop-Off Locations
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Thank you to the AFOP Board conference attendees who made the AFOP Leadership Conference and Board meeting a resounding success. We had speakers and presentations from our members, and from agency partners from DOL, HHS, and DHS. Download Presentations
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Rocky Mountain HI Coaltion
Coeur d'Alene, ID | May 2-4, 2016
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ORO Development Corporation
Oklahoma City, OK | June 8-9, 2016
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This nurse training program was featured in ETA’s Career Pathways discussion at the AFOP Leadership Conference. Daily Sun News (2/29)
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Out of the more than 160 programs tracked by CHN that assist low-income people, 139 saw funding cuts from FY10 through FY16 after taking inflation into account. Coalition on Humans Needs (2/24)
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Some Wisconsin dairy farmers are worried about having enough workers to milk their cows Thursday as Latino immigrants attend a "A Day Without Latinos" rally at the state Capitol in Madison. Journal Sentinel (2/16)
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A new report looks at the potential economic benefits of President Obama’s plan to allow the undocumented parents of U.S. citizens to stay and work legally. The Atlantic (2/26)
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Talk about motivation. That is what Guadalupe Ayala-Arroyo sees in farm work, motivation for achieving a brighter future. We are Mitu (2/26)
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Steel shipping containers converted into housing are being offered for farmworkers and other applications in the U.S. and Canada by a Middle East company. Capital Press (2/26)
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The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $625,000 in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, National Dislocated Worker Grant funding to the Texas Workforce Commission to assist with clean-up and recovery efforts after severe winter storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding in Dallas County, TX. DOL Press Release (3/8)
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Falling unemployment rates have triggered stricter time limits for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients across the U.S., with an estimated 1 million Americans in 23 states at risk of losing benefits. Vice News (2/23)
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NBC News (2/3)
HuffPost Business (2/5)
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NPR (2/5)
Economic Policy Institute (2/9)
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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) 384-1754.
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