HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 35

BY  ISENHART, HALL, SWAIM, HEDDENS, MUHLBAUER, HUNTER, JACOBY, KAJTAZOVIC, T. TAYLOR, WILLEMS, WITTNEBEN, KRESSIG, KEARNS, KELLEY, LENSING, WESSEL-KROESCHELL, WINCKLER, LYKAM, COHOON, ABDUL-SAMAD, MASCHER, M. SMITH, H. MILLER, STECKMAN, and WOLFE

A Resolution urging Congress to preserve funding for workforce development and education programs.

   WHEREAS, House Resolution 1 was passed by the United States House of Representatives on February 19, 2011; and
   WHEREAS, the United States House of Representatives proposal would eliminate comprehensive early childhood services nationwide for 218,000 low-income children and their families, close over 16,000 Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms, and lay off 55,000 teachers, teacher assistants, and related staff, with an estimated 1,800 kids in Iowa losing access to Head Start services; and
   WHEREAS, the proposal cuts an additional $5 billion of funding for the United States Department of Education, including slashing Title I education funding by nearly $700 million, meaning 2,400 schools serving one million disadvantaged students could lose funding, and approximately 10,000 teachers and aides could lose their jobs, with an estimated loss of more than $4.5 million in grants to local Iowa educational agencies; and
   WHEREAS, the proposal would cut almost $600 million in federal special education funding, leading to the loss of 7,000 education staff serving such students nationwide and a potential increase in state and local taxes to make up for the loss of more than $5 million in federal funds to support special education in Iowa; and
   WHEREAS, the proposal would cut aid to college students by reducing the maximum Pell Grant by 15 percent at a time when college tuitions and student indebtedness are rising precipitously; and
   WHEREAS, the proposal to cut the Perkins Tech Prep program will mean a loss of $1.24 million to Iowa, along with additional cuts to the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program, YouthBuild, Career Pathways, and the High School Graduation Initiative; and
   WHEREAS, the proposal would cut $3.8 billion from key workforce development programs under the United States Department of Labor, including eliminating all 2011 funding for the Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA); and
   WHEREAS, these cuts will cause more than 7,000 young people to lose access to services under YouthBuild, as many as 10,000 to lose access to services under Job Corps, and 276,000 to lose access to education, training, and work experiences; and
   WHEREAS, these cuts will force 3,000 One‐Stop centers found in local communities across the country to begin the process of closing their doors, likely causing thousands of new job losses, and denying access to the more than eight million workers; and
   WHEREAS, the State of Iowa currently receives some $14 million from the United States Department of Labor for adult, youth, and dislocated workers, serving approximately 35,000 Iowans with an array of core and intensive services; and
   WHEREAS, since 2009 the State of Iowa has received just over $16 million in National Emergency Grants to support 4,700 workers losing their jobs through mass layoffs, including $6 million through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; and
   WHEREAS, Iowa’s proportionate share of emergency grant funding under House Resolution 1 would provide funding to serve only 380 individuals; and
   WHEREAS, these programs are essential to create and fill jobs, prepare workers whose jobs have disappeared for new careers, and train the American workforce for the demands of a 21st century global economy; and
   WHEREAS, for the more than 14 million unemployed American workers, the impact of dismantling the public workforce and adult education systems could not be more devastating; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That the House of Representatives urges Congress to continue its commitment to job creation, economic growth, and opportunities for students and workers by maintaining funding for workforce development and education programs in the fiscal year 2012 federal budget.