September 2023 Board & Committee Meetings
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors met September 12, 2023, before the SUMMIT in Los Angeles, California. Board members and attendees held a discussion with Brent Parton, Acting Assistant Secretary, Employment & Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, were presented the new Disaster Unemployment Act (DUA) toolkit prepared by NASWA staff, and heard reports and updates from Policy Committees and NASWA Services, among other items on the agenda.
ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE COMMITTEE
NASWA’s Administration & Finance Committee (A&F) held a meeting on September 12 in conjunction with NASWA’s SUMMIT. Twenty-five members from 18 states were in attendance. At the meeting members received an update from Jim Garner and Michelle Beebe, Administrator and Deputy Administrator of the Office of Unemployment Insurance, on a variety of issues that impact the operation of UI programs. The Committee also heard from Pam Gerassimides, ETA Regional Administrator for Region V, on workforce programs in other federal agencies and how they can align with, and support, activities under the WIOA program.
Committee members spent considerable time working on the formation and planning for an A&F Training to be held in conjunction with the next SIDES and UI IB conferences in March of 2024 in Pittsburg. A subgroup of the Committee has been holding regular planning meetings and the result of their work was brought to the full committee for review and additional input.
The Training, targeted to state finance staff, is planned for 2.5 days, to include tracks in Grants Management, Financial Management, Unemployment Insurance, and WIOA/Workforce. Each track will cover a variety of subjects related to the topic, including: DOL funding, cost principles, cost allocation, budget management, internal controls, and financial reporting.
Work will continue to further develop content and identify instructors. USDOL’s Office of Grant Management is also playing an important role in providing guidance, content, and potential instructors. Committee members have expressed strong support for the effort, and the value that will occur to finance staff in the future.
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
The Communications Committee met in Los Angeles on September 12th with 24 individuals in attendance. Members heard the California Showcase presented by the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency, AI innovations in communications, and new social media practices & accessibility. The Committee also voted and chose Becky Shaffer (KS) as the 2023-24 Committee Vice Chair-Nominee.
EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING COMMITTEE
The Employment & Training Committee convened at the 2023 NASWA Summit in Los Angeles, California on September 12th with nearly 50 attendees representing over 25 states.
Members heard presentations centered around Innovations in State Rapid Response Activities, Workforce & Human Services Connections, Workforce Opportunities through the CHIPS & Science Act, and a California Showcase featuring overviews of California’s apprenticeship initiatives, Employment Training Panel, and agricultural workforce development efforts. In addition, members received an update from federal partner, Kim Vitelli. The committee meeting also featured a state roundtable where members had the opportunity to discuss a range of topics including AI initiatives, customer service surveys, workforce program return on investment, and other relevant subjects.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE
Updates from the DOL Civil Rights Center and ETA, and presentations on expanding access to California’s immigrant and farmworker communities and Missouri’s work on eligible training providers highlighted the September 12 meeting of the NASWA Equal Opportunity Committee. Outgoing chair Anna Hui (MO) passed the gavel to the committee’s new chair, Maurice Emsellem (CA), and Matilda Aidam greeted the group to California. The 23 members in attendance also shared promising practices and upcoming events. DOL staff in attendance were Naomi Barry-Perez, CRC; Miguel Escobar, CRC; Ian Page, ETA; and Kim Vitelli, ETA.
NATIONAL LABOR EXCHANGE (NLx) STEERING COMMITTEE
The NLx team was excited to join employers and state workforce agency representatives at the NLx Steering Committee meeting on September 12th in Los Angeles, California. Members heard updates on NLx Operations and discussed labor exchange related topics like skills-based hiring, pay transparency laws, and the need for more actionable labor market information.
Featured presentations included ETA-sponsored CareerOneStop updates and federal insights on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), ETA Vision 2030, and associated labor exchange opportunities. Additionally, Paul Daniels, NLx Research Hub Manager, provided updates to the committee on the technical and operational enhancements that have been made to the Research Hub over the past year.
The committee will reconvene virtually in January 2024.
TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
The Technology Committee convened in Los Angeles on September 12, 2023, with 34 members representing 24 states. During this meeting, the Committee discussed our goals for the upcoming year, legislative priorities, and unveiled the State CIO Top Priorities for 2023/2024. USDOL provided updates on modernization efforts, including technical support for states receiving funding from UIPL 11-23, and identity validation & verification resources in collaboration with Login.gov and USPS. The Committee also held a joint session with the Workforce and Labor Market Information (WLMI) Committee, focusing on LMI shops' role in state agencies and the use of UI data to develop valuable insights and resources for end users and stakeholders. This meeting fostered valuable networking, learning, and collaboration among committee members, and we look forward to continuing our work together at the next meeting on November 9, 2023.
UI INTEGRITY STEERING COMMITTEE
NASWA’s Integrity Center Steering Committee held its annual meeting on September 11th in conjunction with NASWA’s Workforce Summitt. The primary purpose of this meeting was to have members review and approve the Center’s annual workplan and budget. Both actions were accomplished and the STCO members unanimously approved both.
This meeting is also the meeting where the new STCO Chair and Vice Chair are selected. Antwon Keith (NC) is the outgoing Chair having successfully served for the past year and will be leaving the STCO. Members elected Caroline Pratt (CT) as the new Chair and Lindsi Leahy (OR) as the new Vice Chair. Jason Stalinsky (TX) is a new member of the thirteen-member (11 state and two USDOL) STCO.
UI SIDES OPERATIONS
On September 12th, 2023, the SIDES Operations Committee convened in Los Angeles, California for an in-person meeting. There were 36 in-person attendees and 51 virtual attendees. After welcoming the attendees and introducing new and returning voting members, committee Chair, Michael Burke (NH) gave the floor to Christina Corbett, SIDES Operations Manager, so that she could walk the committee through the recent activity of the SIDES integrated partners. Corbett also touched on the Monetary and Potential Charges Rewrite (a year-long project updating one of the SIDES exchanges) as this meeting occurred less than two weeks out from the cut-over. She shared that the project continued to progress smoothly, and that a successful cutover was anticipated.
Later in the meeting, SIDES Program Director, Jerry Pectol announced that the SIDES team will soon start development of the Power of Attorney (POA) exchange – a seventh exchange that has been often requested by general SIDES users as well as committee members. This news was met with wide approval and all members were excited for the process to begin. The committee finished out by allowing each voting member to share what their state workforce agency or business has been working on regarding SIDES and how the NASWA SIDES team can help their organization reach their SIDES goals. This created a rich opportunity for dialogue and the sharing of best practices among the states and integrated partners in attendance.
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE COMMITTEE
Representatives from approximately 33 states convened for an in-person Unemployment Insurance Committee meeting on Tuesday, September 12 prior to the NASWA Summit in Los Angeles. Led by Chair Buddy Hoskinson (KY) and Vice-Chair Wendy Castle (FL), the meeting featured a members-only discussion with Jim Garner, Administrator of the Office of Unemployment Insurance with USDOL.
The Committee thanked outgoing Interstate Benefits (IB) Subcommittee Chair Monnikka Madison (DC) for her amazing leadership for the last two years. Last year’s IB Subcommittee Vice-Chair, Kris Funk (WY), is the new Chair. The IB Subcommittee is planning an Interstate and Federal Programs Training to be held in March – more details coming soon!
WAGE & HOUR COMMITTEE
NASWA’s Wage and Hour Committee met in Los Angeles on September 12th with over thirty individuals in attendance. The meeting featured a USDOL Wage & Hour Update Presentation by Jessica Looman (Principal Deputy Administrator) and State Practice Presentations from Illinois, New Jersey, and Washington before a State Roundtable.
WORKFORCE & LABOR MARKET INFORMATION COMMITTEE (WLMI)
TThe Workforce & Labor Market Information (WLMI) committee met Monday, September 11 in Los Angeles, California, prior to the 2023 NASWA SUMMIT. Chair Jeff Green (WV) and Vice-Chair Scott Powell (MI) gave welcome remarks before staff from agencies in California presented a State of California Showcase. Attendees participated in a roundtable discussion called “leading through change” that focused on moving from technical to adaptive leadership in the face of disruptors in the environment (e.g., staffing, budgets, AI). The Committee members also met with federal partners, including Julie Hatch-Maxfield (Bureau of Labor Statistics), to align on policy and practice. The committee wrapped up with a joint session with NASWA's Technology Committee, which featured a WLMI 101, discussion of UI IT modernization processes, and a successful state WLMI-technology partnership.
