NCSL Joint Briefing With DOL, NGA and NASWA
The U.S. Department of Labor is offering a new federal grant opportunity for states to implement Short-Time Compensation, an unemployment insurance program designed to help employers retain their workforce when faced with a reduction in available work. Employees affected by this reduction of hours may have a portion of their lost wages replaced with a proportionate percentage of the benefits they would have been entitled to had they been laid off.
Please join the Labor Department and Training Administration, in partnership with NCSL, the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, for this briefing on Short-Time Compensation.
Short-Term Compensation State Briefing
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 3 p.m. ET
Registration here
Consolidated Appropriations Summary
The 117th Congress concluded with a bang as its last act was passing an omnibus appropriations package right before breaking for the holidays. NCSL breaks it down for you.
NCSL contacts: Brian Wanko (budgets), Austin Reid (education), Lauren Kallins (health and human services) Jon Jukuri (labor and housing), Susan Frederick (criminal justice and immigration), Kristen Hildreth (natural resources and infrastructure)
Administration Updates
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army announced on Dec. 30 their final redefinition of which wetlands and waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act. The “Waters of the United States” aims to determine the scope of federal authority to regulate such water, and when states, local governments and others must seek federal permits to develop land because it contains such waters. NCSL staff break it down for you. Link to alert.
EPA Announces Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States’
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army announced on Dec. 30 their final redefinition of which wetlands and waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act. The “Waters of the United States” aims to determine the scope of federal authority to regulate such water, and when states, local governments and others must seek federal permits to develop land because it contains such waters. NCSL staff break it down for you.
NCSL Contact: Kristen Hildreth
Biden Administration Announces Border Control Measures and Legal Pathways for Migration
The administration issued new guidance on Jan. 5 on enforcement strategies aimed at increasing security at the southern border and reducing the number of individuals crossing unlawfully at ports of entry. The administration’s fact sheet acknowledges a broken immigration system and calls on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform to rectify the situation. The proposal expands support for border cities and nongovernmental organizations and increases the government’s anti-smuggling operations. NCSL has long called for comprehensive immigration reform and recently passed several policies calling for change in specific areas related to immigrants.
Resources:
NCSL Immigration Policies
NCSL contacts: Susan Frederick and Nicole Ezeh
Office Releases Human Trafficking Prevention Month Toolkit
In recognition of January being Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the Administration on Children and Families’ Office on Trafficking in Persons has released its 2023 Human Trafficking Prevention Month Toolkit. The toolkit provides resources for anti-trafficking government agencies, service providers and community partners to increase awareness of human trafficking, reporting of trafficking and access to services for at-risk and trafficked people. It also breaks the month into focus weeks to support clear messaging and resource sharing among key stakeholders. The toolkit contains resources on specific subtopics, including T and U visas, substance abuse disorders, survivor engagement and technology-facilitated trafficking. Read more.
NCSL contacts: Susan Frederick and Nicole Ezeh
Department of Education Provides Maintenance of Effort Update
States intending to seek a waiver of the fiscal year 2022 maintenance of effort provision required by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund should submit a request by March 15, 2023, according to a memo sent to governors and chief state school officers. As a condition of receiving ESSER funds, states must spend the same share of their total budget on K-12 and higher education separately in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 as they did in the three fiscal years prior to the pandemic. Per the memo, 37 states have provided interim data demonstrating MOE for K-12 education, and 48 states have demonstrated MOE for higher education. Read more.
NCSL contacts: Austin Reid
In Every Edition
Read the Jan. 9 Capitol to Capitol.