Action Alert--Your calls needed on the Jobs Bill today!

Jobs Bill Update

Please call Conference Committee members TODAY and let them know you support a direct appropriation of $5 million for the
Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund.
Legislative session ends July 31!

Dear Friends,

The Jobs bill (S.2350/H.4119) is in conference committee, and the committee has only until next Tuesday, July 31 to debate and pass the bill.

One of the most exciting workforce pieces in the Senate jobs bill, which passed last week, is a $5 million direct appropriation for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund!

We strongly support the $5 million appropriation in the Senate version and are asking House leaders and the Governor to support that as well. (The House version has $10 million from the consolidated budget surplus but there's no money available this year through the surplus that hasn't been already spoken for.) House leaders Chairman Joseph Wagner and Speaker DeLeo are the primary architects of this Jobs bill and are very supportive.

Please weigh in with Conference Committee members TODAY to support this important funding for job training partnerships around the state.

Chairman Joseph Wagner            617-722-2370
Chairman Brian Dempsey             617-722-2990
Representative Kevin Kuros          617-722-2460

Chairman Stephen Brewer             617-722-1540
Chairwoman Gale Candaras         617-722-1291
Senator Richard Ross                     617-722-1555

Governor Deval Patrick                    617-725-4005

When you call, please let them know you're calling to support the Jobs Bill and the $5 million direct appropriation for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund.     If you don't reach them, leave a message with staff including who you are, where you live/work, and that you are calling in support of a $5 million direct appropriation for the WCTF.   Please email us any feedback you get.

We are deeply grateful to our Senate champions, especially: Senators Ken Donnelly, Dan Wolf, Gale Candaras, Karen Spilka, Stan Rosenberg, Katherine Clark, Sonia Chang-Diaz, Tom McGee, Jack Hart, Chairman Stephen Brewer, Mike Moore, Michael Knapik, Brian Joyce, and Mike Rush. Special thanks to Senate President Murray and her staff for their thoughtful balancing of education and workforce development needs.

Please thank our champions on their Facebook pages, twitter streams, or with an old-fashioned phone call or letter.

Thanks for helping this cross the finish line and for supporting job training in our state!

Remember--the end of the session is July 31. Call today!

Sincerely,

Loh-Sze Leung

Director, SkillWorks: Partners for a Productive Workforce

FY13 Budget--Quick Update

The final FY13 budget preserves funding levels for most workforce programs and includes new 'rapid response' resources for workforce development training at community colleges and scholarships for students in public higher ed schools studying in high demand fields.

The Governor has already filed a supplemental budget seeking $6 million in funding for the YouthWorks Jobs program, so that programs can be forward funded and not have to wait until each budget cycle concludes before they know how much money they have to operate summer jobs programs.

FY13 Final state budget

FY13 Workforce Line Items Chart

Thanks to everyone who called a state rep or senator and weighed in on the need for skills training and education and youth job development.

For more detailed information, visit and subscribe to the Skills2Compete-Massachusetts blog and Twitter feed!