[Libs-Or] INFORMATION: Fix to healthcare bill includes funds for community college and career training program

[Diedre Conkling]

Fix to healthcare bill includes funds for community college and career
training program <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=4686>
March 31, 2010

On March 30, President Obama signed the “fix healthcare bill” or
Reconciliation Act of 2010 into law, which included $2 billion for the
Community College and Career Training Grant Program – a new Trade Adjustment
Assistance (TAA) program that was created through the Department of Labor in
last year’s stimulus bill but was never funded.

This money will be spent at $500 million a year for FY11-14 and will be
awarded competitively.  While ALA welcomes this provision, we are also
disappointed. Since last summer, community college librarians and ALA have
worked on a different proposal that could have included community college
libraries.

The original Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) proposal in
H.R. 3221 was made by the White House about one year ago; it  focused more
on job training programs and related resources needed to support students
seeking new job skills. While we are glad to see recognition of the needs of
community colleges and the need to promote job skills and employment, we are
disappointed that some of the programmatic initiatives that might have
helped community college libraries were completely dropped.
  Behind-the-scenes bartering substituted this “new” Department of Labor
proposal for the Department of Education’s community college programs
initiatives just within the last week.
ALA will continue to work with community college supporters to seek improved
recognition and funding for their libraries.

http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=4686


-- 
Diedre Conkling
Lincoln County Library District
P.O. Box 2027
Newport, OR  97365
Work phone & fax:  541-265-3066
Work email:  diedre at beachbooks.org
Home email:  diedre08 at gmail.com
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