ASO Legislative Action Alert - HR27 Workforce Investment Act

[Guest guest]

Dear Friend of ASO:

A legislative alert from the Rehabilitative Services Commission. Please take a moment and contact your federal legislators to encourage them to take action to ensure that HR 27 - the re-authorizatoin of the Workforce Investment Act - is brought to a conference committee and passed this Congressional session. Following my signature is detailed information on HR 27, a sample letter, and contact information for federal legislators.

Remember - whether up for re-election or retiring from office - current legislators retain their seats until January and Congress will be in session, so you can still contact them after the elections.

Sincerely,

Barbara C. YavorcikPresidentAutism Society of Ohio701 S. Main St.Akron, OH 44311(330) 376-0211fax: (330) 376-1226email: askASO@...home: byavorcik@...web: www.autismohio.org---------------------

H.R.27 Workforce Investment ActTitle: To enhance the workforce investment system of the Nation by strengthening one-stop career centers, providing for more effective governance arrangements, promoting access to a more comprehensive array of employment, training, and related services, establishing a targeted approach to serving youth, and improving performance accountability, and for other purposes.

As a supporter of the public Vocational Rehabilitation program, this message is being sent to update you on the progress of HR 27 (the Re-Authorization of the Workforce Investment Act).

HR 27 has been passed by both House and Senate, but has not yet gone to a conference committee to reconcile difference between the two versions so it can be enacted by the end of the year.

Congress will re-convene after the elections and while there is little time left to ensure passage of HR 27 by the conference committee, advocates like you can help sway legislators. If you feel it is appropriate, contact your Congressional member and let them know that getting HR 27 to and passed by a conference committee is important to you. Remember the Workforce Investment Act was supposed to be re-authorized in 2003! We do not want to wait another year or longer—especially considering all of the hard work done already to keep issues like block granting off of the table.

Emails, faxes and phone calls are still the best ways to get your opinion to your Congressional member. Ohio has a unique opportunity to impact this bill as three House members sit on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce (Tiberi, Kucinich, and ) and Reps. Pryce and Boehner are in Leadership offices and have an impact on the legislative calendar. Senator DeWine also sits on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee which had hearings on WIA in the Senate.

The following is a sample format of a letter of support and web-links to the Senate and House Website to assist in determining your congressional representatives. Please contact your legislators often and remind them that the public Vocational Rehabilitation program needs their support and that the Workforce Investment Act needs to be passed this year!

Thank you for your continued support of vocational rehabilitation.

Contact information for Ohio’s members of Congress may be found at:

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml#oh

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=OH

You have been sent this email as a friend of RSC and the disability community. If you wish to no longer receive these emails, please reply and your email address will be removed from our mailing list.

Thank you.

To a Senator:

The Honorable (full name)____(Rm.#)________(name of)Senate Office BuildingUnited States SenateWashington, DC 20510

To a Representative:

The Honorable (full name)____(Rm.#)________(name of)House Office BuildingUnited States House of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515

Dear Representative: OR Dear Senator:

“What do you do?†That question defines all of us in this culture. Successful programs such as Vocational Rehabilitation assist people with disabilities in their quest to answer this question with pride. The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program and other job training initiatives in the Workforce Investment Act work in partnership with Ohioans with disabilities in their goal to obtain or retain employment. In addition to increasing independence and self-reliance, these programs allow many people with disabilities to leave public assistance and the Medicaid rolls thus reducing the federal and state tax burden.

As a supporter of the public Vocational Rehabilitation program, I encourage you to take action to ensure that HR 27 is brought to a conference committee and passed this Congressional session. HR 27 has enjoyed broad bi-partisan support and was unanimously passed by the Senate in July.

The public VR program in Ohio has served over 55,000 Ohioans with disabilities in the past year and successfully rehabilitated over 8,000 into competitive employment. Bringing HR 27 to conference committee and getting this important program re-authorized will enable Ohio to continue to serve Ohioans with disabilities who want to work and enjoy greater community participation.

The disability community and Congress worked hard to preserve dedicated funding for the public VR program. Allowing funds from the workforce partners (including VR) to be shifted to fund the One-Stops will only increase the number of Ohioans waiting for services. Any shifting of funds will only exacerbate the problem, but a cap on what can be shifted along with accountability provisions insuring no loss in services to partners’ customers is the best option. The Senate version of HR 27 provides such an option.

Maintaining current law on the status of the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Commissioner; that being the RSA Commissioner is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate is vital. Any change to current practice will be seen as a reduction of the role of people with disabilities has with the administration and within the federal government. In order to continue breaking down employment barriers for people with disabilities, the disability community needs both to serve as examples. The Senate version of HR 27 maintains current law.

Congress heard the concerns of the disability community and did not include any block granting of the VR program. Allowing the bill to die before a conference committee can be convened will enable this dangerous discussion to again come to the table. A key to the success of the public VR program is its individualized services that provide a broad array of services and supports to assist eligible individuals with disabilities in overcoming barriers to employment. Dedicated funding is necessary to continue this long standing record of success. HR 27 retains dedicated funding to the public VR program.

Again, the disability community overwhelmingly supports the Senate version of HR 27—The Workforce Investment Act. This important program has enabled Ohio to serve over 55,000 people with disabilities and rehabilitate over 8,000 into competitive employment.

Please do what you can to ensure that the re-authorization of the Workforce Investment Act happens during this Congressional Session.

Sincerely,