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From the Executive Director's Desk (1/26)
On January 24, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its annual Budget and Economic Outlook covering the ongoing fiscal year 2017 and the ten-year 2018-2027 period and painting a very bleak picture for future spending. While I appreciate that budget matters can be a little technical and dry, I encourage you to read on so you can understand the fiscal realities facing federal decision-makers. Read More
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DOL Memo (1/20)
Please take a few moments to read the Memo to the American people linked below from Labor Secretary Tom Perez. It briefly summarizes the gains that the hard working people of the US have made in the past eight years with the support of common sense labor policies that meet the needs of workers, retirees and modern families. Read the full memo.
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Politico (1/26)
Labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions has been delayed yet again, this time to Feb. 7. Read More
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WorkforceGPS Newsletter (1/1)
As we welcome 2017 and get back into the swing of things after the holidays, the WorkforceGPS Team would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few things you can expect to see from us in 2017. Read More
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DOL Blog (12/5)
Everyone knows that coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. But not everyone knows that growing and harvesting coffee is extremely labor intensive, and labor violations are rampant throughout the global industry. Read More
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Application Deadline: March 27, 2017
The United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service recently announced the availability of $27 million in grants to fund innovative projects designed to strengthen market opportunities for local and regional food producers and businesses. The agency will present a webinar on February 16. The deadline for applications is March 27. Read More
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USDA Press Release (1/5)
USDA recently announced that the Office of the Ombudsperson is helping women and Hispanic farmers and ranchers with accessing Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Rural Development programs. The Ombudsperson seeks a fair process for everyone involved and helps USDA identify and address issues relating to program access by women and Hispanic producers, focused strategically on FSA, NRCS, and RD programs in California, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas. Read More
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ThinkProgress.org (1/4)
Officials in Arkansas and Maine are prepared to ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture, once the new administration is in office, for waivers allowing new restrictions on purchases made by SNAP recipients. Previously, such waivers have been denied by USDA. The restrictions would force hundreds of thousands of stores nationwide to implement new rules at checkout counters. Read More
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Training and Employment Notice – TEN 28-16 (1/17)
The Center for Employment and Training, Skill Training and Human Development (San Jose, CA) is an eligible training provider in California, a WIOA National Farmworker Jobs Program grantee, and is accredited under the provisions in the Higher Education Act (HEA). In addition to serving grantee participants, CET offers a tuition-based “vendor” program whereby students, who include migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents, pay for their occupational training courses via federal financial aid (Pell Grants). Training courses align with career pathways, emphasized in WIOA and in HEA, that require alignment and a combination of training, adult education, and support services. This alignment and combination is an innovative and effective service design that helps students accelerate to Adult Education - English as a Second Language, Literacy and Math and GED certificate preparation. CET is a member of the local American Job Center network in three of the six major agricultural regions of the state.
View more information about CET’s best practices and success stories.
Read TEN 28-16 -- Best Practices, Partnership Models, and Resources Available for Serving English Language Learners, Immigrants, Refugees, and New Americans has been added to the ETA Advisory database and is now available at
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Proteus Newsletter (12/1)
After a series of events, Jesus Vasquez became a participant in the National Farmworker Jobs Program at Proteus, Indiana. Working with Top Notch Apprenticeship Program and Proteus, Jesus was able to develop a plan to upgrade his life and employment skills. Read More
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NMSHSA Announcement (12/14)
Our friends at NMSHSA (National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association) are seeking applicants for a competitive internship program next summer, 2017. The NMSHSA Internship Program will expose migrant students who are currently in college to various career opportunities within Washington, D.C., such as non-profit organizations, federal agencies, and Capitol Hill. (Past posts have included Farmworker Justice and the USDA.)
During the 8-week program, NMSHSA interns will refine their professionalism, develop peer relationships, strengthen their leadership skills, make professional contacts, and connect with professional mentors. Individuals must have been enrolled in least one Migrant and Seasonal Head Start program from the ages of 0-5, be at least 18 years of age, and be currently enrolled and working towards their undergraduate degree.
Please direct any unanswered questions to Mr. Cleo Rodriguez, Jr. at 202-223-9889 or internship@nmshsa.com. Applications are due February 24, 2017. View Full Details
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By Melanie Forti, AFOP Health & Safety Director (12/29)
As the year ends, AFOP Health & Safety Programs staff cannot pass the opportunity to express their gratitude for so many things in 2016, and wish each one of you a wonderful holiday season and a magnificent new year. Read More
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By Melanie Forti, AFOP Health & Safety Director (1/4)
Throughout the year farmworkers are exposed to extreme working conditions from physical strains to extreme weather conditions. Constant exposure to cold temperatures can put farmworkers at risk from suffering cold stress. Read More
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By Vashti Kelly, Programs Manager (12/27)
We know that pesticide drift poses a big problem for farms, agricultural workers, and the environment but, what about our children? Read More
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Farmworker Justice (1/25)
"President Trump signed two executive orders today that threaten some of our country’s most essential values, including diversity and the right to due process, and will inflict great harm on innocent people,” said Bruce Goldstein, President of Farmworker Justice, a national advocacy organization for farmworkers. Read More
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Center for America Progress (1/9)
Since June 2012, more than 752,000 people who came to the United States as children have benefitted from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. But this quintessential embodiment of the American dream is under attack. During his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump threatened to end DACA, along with other executive actions. If the president-elect ends DACA, whether in a single action or by allowing work permits to expire over time, the end result will be hundreds of thousands of young people losing their work authorization and effectively being forced out of the labor market.
Read More
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By Kemi Bello, ILRC Communciations Manager (12/13)
Following President-elect Donald Trump’s comments that he would end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the Immigrant Legal Resource Center released Money on the Table – The Economic Cost of Ending DACA, a report estimating the far-ranging economic costs of ending the immensely successful DACA policy. Read More
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Senate Press Release (12/9)
U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) recently announced they are introducing bipartisan legislation to protect young undocumented individuals should the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program be discontinued. Read More
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Center on Budget & Policy Priorities (12/19)
With President Obama leaving office, it’s worth recalling, with updated data, one of his notable achievements: the 2009 Recovery Act, which helped prevent a historic rise in poverty despite the worst recession since the 1930s. Read More
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CLASP Press Release (December)
The Campaign for Youth recently updated Our Youth, Our Economy, Our Future: A Road Map for Investing in the Nation’s Talent Pipeline, an investment strategy that offers a set of recommendations to help national, state, and local public and private stakeholders identify and invest in solutions –and leverage current philanthropic and federal resources.
Read More
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The Urban Institute (9/16)
This brief lays out six steps that local and state programs can take to address the child care needs of parents in education and training.
Read More
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The National Skills Coalition (10/16)
The National Skills Coalition released a toolkit for states looking to establish skills-based SNAP education and training policies. This toolkit provides resources to state policymakers, advocates, and practitioners on state policies to advance skills- based Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T). It is among a set of state skills equity policies being promoted by National Skills Coalition. Read More
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IWPR Publication (12/1)
This report examines administrators' perspectives on the role of supportive services such as child care and transportation assistance in improving program completion, the availability of supportive services across different types of training programs, the unmet support needs of job training participants, and sources of funding and cost-effective strategies for providing supportive service. Read More
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By Ginni Rometty, USA Today (12/13)
This is not about white collar vs. blue collar jobs, but about the "new collar" jobs that employers in many industries demand, but which remain largely unfilled. Read More
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National Aerospace & Defense Workforce Summit (2016)
Building the shrinking U.S. aerospace and defense industry workforce requires "immediate action at the national level," according to a new report from the Aerospace Industries Association. The report summarizes the 2016 National Aerospace and Defense Workforce Summit held in September. Read More
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Erica Kashiri, US Chamber of Commerce Foundation (11/14)
It's time to refocus our energy on solving the challenges facing this country. And one of those challenges is connecting people to jobs. Read More
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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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