[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 218 (Thursday, November 12, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63374-63383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30228]



[[Page 63373]]

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Part III





Department of Labor





_______________________________________________________________________



Employment and Training Administration



_______________________________________________________________________



Draft White Paper: Workforce Investment Act of 1998 Implementation; 
Comment Request; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 218 / Thursday, November 12, 1998 / 
Notices  

[[Page 63374]]



DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Workforce Investment Act of 1998

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice: request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to obtain comments on the 
Department of Labor's draft White Paper on the implementation of the 
Workforce Investment Act (WIA or Act ), Public Law 105-220 (August 7, 
1998). The paper sets forth in general terms the approach the 
Department is taking to implement title I, III and V of the Act. The 
implementation of title V will be conducted in conjunction with the 
Department of Education. This paper is only one of a series of 
documents and other materials that will guide the implementation of the 
Act. It is not intended to answer all questions relating to 
implementation, but rather to provide the general philosophy and 
approach to implementation. Other documents will address more specific 
issues. While the Department does not plan to revise this paper, all 
comments received by the closing date will be considered in future 
aspects of the implementation process. This notice is not a proposed 
rule. The Department will consider comments on regulations throughout 
the rulemaking process.

DATES: The Department invites written comments on this notice. Comments 
received on or before December 1, 1998 will be considered in the 
development of regulations and policy guidance as well as the overall 
implementation strategy. Statute requires regulations to be promulgated 
by February 1999.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Mr. Eric Johnson, Workforce 
Investment Implementation Taskforce Office, U.S. Department of Labor, 
200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room S5513, Washington, DC 20210. All 
comments will be available for public inspection and copying during 
normal business hours at the address above. Copies of the draft White 
Paper are available at the address above, as well as on the WIA web 
site at http://usworkforce.org. Comments may be submitted 
electronically to that web address. Commenters wishing acknowledgment 
of receipt of their comments must submit them by certified mail, return 
receipt requested.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Eric Johnson, Workforce Investment 
Implementation Taskforce Office, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Room S5513, Washington, DC 20210, Telephone: 
(202) 219-0316 (voice) (This is not a toll-free number), or 1-800-326-
2577 (TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Signed into law on August 7, 1998, the 
Workforce Investment Act provides the framework for a unique national 
workforce preparation and employment system designed to meet the needs 
of job seekers, individuals who want to further their career, as well 
as the nation's businesses. The Act encourages States to reform 
existing employment and training programs and to think broadly about 
how Federal, State and local resources can be integrated into a 
comprehensive workforce investment system. The Act builds on the most 
successful elements of previous Federal legislation. Just as important, 
its key components are based on local and State input and extensive 
research and evaluation studies of successful training and employment 
innovations over the past decade. The Act makes changes to the current 
funding streams, target populations, delivery systems, accountability 
systems, labor market information systems, and governance structures. 
The White Paper is attached.

    Signed at Washington, D.C., this 5th day of November, 1998.
Raymond L. Bramucci,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.

Message From the Secretary of Labor

    With an economy more vibrant than any we've seen in 30 years, 
America is looking forward to a new century filled with endless 
possibilities for growth and opportunity. Just this year, millions of 
new jobs have been created. Unemployment is at an all-time low, and 
wages are on the rise.
    But with new high-skill jobs growing at nearly three times the rate 
of other jobs, many employers are having a hard time attracting 
qualified workers. And millions of workers with few or no skills feel 
trapped in jobs leading nowhere.
    As Secretary of Labor, one of my chief goals is bridging the gap 
between job opportunities and the pool of workers who are qualified to 
fill them. I want to equip every American worker with skills that will 
not only secure a good job, but guarantee every step up the workforce 
ladder leads to even greater opportunities.
    That is why the Department of Labor worked with Congress to create 
the historic Workforce Investment Act, signed into law this year. Five 
years in the making, the Workforce Investment Act represents a total 
overhaul of our country's job-training system--a customer-driven 
overhaul that will help employers get the workers they need and empower 
job seekers to meet the challenges of the new century by getting the 
training they need for the jobs they want.
    The Workforce Investment Act makes this possible through an 
innovative ``One-Stop'' system designed to provide a full menu of job 
training, education and employment services at a single neighborhood 
location where adults, veterans, dislocated workers and youth will 
receive skills assessment services, information on employment and 
training opportunities, unemployment, services, job search and 
placement assistance, and up-to-date information on job vacancies--all 
at one center specifically tailored to meet the needs of the community 
it serves.
    Best of all, job seekers will control their own careers by choosing 
the training programs and services that fit their needs. And they'll 
keep that control for life. So when it's time to make another move up 
the career ladder, sharpen a skill, learn a new one, or just get 
information, workers will be able to continue to rely on their local 
One-Stop Center.
    The Workforce Investment Act also provides for increased 
accountability. The performance of states, localities and training 
providers will be monitored against goals set by the Act --including 
job placement rates, earnings, retention in employment, and skill 
gains. Failure to meet the goals will lead to sanctions, while 
exceeding them will lead to incentive funds.
    But the Workforce Investment Act is more than a new job training 
system. It's a strong network of interlinked programs designed to 
provide wide choices to Americans seeking new opportunities and 
valuable information. And, it's a chance for us to harness today's 
opportunities for success and invest them in the workforce of tomorrow.
    I am immensely proud that 15 million young out of school Americans 
will not be left out of this system. The law focuses on the needs of 
kids in left-out communities to ensure they are pulled into the inner 
circle of opportunity offering all of us a pool of talent for the 
future. That is why I am inviting everyone--government, business, labor 
and communities to work together to prepare America's workforce for the 
challenges of the 21st Century.

Implementing the Workforce Investment Act of 1998

(10/8/98 DRAFT)
    The Workforce Investment Act will empower all workers--young and 
old--

[[Page 63375]]

with the skills and knowledge to build better lives for themselves and 
their families as we enter the new century.
Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman
August 8, 1998.

Purpose

    This paper sets forth in general terms the approach the Department 
of Labor is taking to implement titles I, III, and V of the Workforce 
Investment Act. The implementation of title V will be conducted in 
conjunction with the Department of Education. Implementation is guided 
by the goals and specific requirements of the new law, as well as by 
the Act's legislative history, the bipartisan ``reform'' principles 
that have been articulated by the President and Members of Congress, 
the views of workforce investment system stakeholders, and specific 
Departmental and Administration principles that affect implementation 
(such as regulatory reform).
    This paper is only one of a series of documents and other 
materials--including regulations, questions and answers, technical 
assistance guides, etc.--that will guide implementation of the Act. It 
is not intended to answer all questions relating to implementation, but 
rather to provide the general philosophy and approach to 
implementation.
    Other documents will address more specific issues. Comments on this 
paper and other implementation materials are welcome and should be sent 
to the address at the end of this paper.

Introduction

    The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 represents the first major 
reform of the nation's job training system in over 15 years. The 
enactment of this legislation is the culmination of a four year 
bipartisan effort on the part of the Administration and Congress to 
design, with States and local communities, a revitalized system that 
provides workers with the information, advice, job search assistance, 
and training they need to get and keep good jobs--and provides 
employers with skilled workers.
    This reform comes at an opportune time. The American economy is 
stronger than it has been in a generation, and it is increasingly 
driven by creativity, innovation and technology. New high-skill jobs 
are growing at nearly three times the rate of other jobs. Many 
employers are finding it increasingly difficult to locate and attract 
qualified workers for high-skilled, high-paying jobs--as well as 
qualified workers for entry-level jobs. At the same time, millions of 
workers with little or no skills feel trapped in low-wage, dead end 
jobs. Reforms under the Workforce Investment Act will permit us to 
build a delivery system in which any adult interested in advancing his 
or her career--regardless of income--can keep on learning, and where 
job seekers--such as low-income adults including welfare parents, 
disadvantaged youth, unemployed or displaced workers, and others 
willing to learn and work--can access high quality information and 
services. This delivery system should be designed with the 
participation of employers, labor, education and community groups which 
have a large stake in its success.
    The enactment of the Workforce Investment Act provides 
unprecedented opportunity for major reforms that will result in a 
reinvigorated, integrated workforce investment system. States and local 
communities should seize this historic opportunity by thinking 
expansively and designing a customer-focused, comprehensive delivery 
system. New, strong, business-led local boards can contribute fresh 
thinking about the labor market and its needs--as well as about quality 
and continuous improvement--in a way that earns sustained support by 
local business leaders. We will know if we have successfully 
implemented this legislation if in less than five years, businesses 
actively use the workforce investment system to fill their labor force 
needs, ``graduates'' increase their skills and earnings, and more and 
more Americans seek access to the system's services.
    States and communities will be able to strengthen ongoing reforms 
that have been supported by the Department of Labor through the One-
Stop initiative, the School-to-Work Opportunities initiative which is 
administered jointly with the Department of Education, and through 
flexibility provided through waivers and Work-Flex. By eliminating many 
of the administrative and regulatory barriers that have previously 
existed, this Act provides States and local communities with the tools 
they need to finally build the comprehensive systems they have been 
striving towards.

Background

    The current patchwork of Federal job training programs has taken 
shape over the last six decades, each element responding to a 
particular concern at a specific time, but never fully brought into 
alignment with the other components of the ``system''. The effects of 
this approach include:
     Limited choice. In most programs, choices about job 
training are made through bureaucratic processes. Men and women seeking 
new opportunities must settle for what the system has available rather 
than being permitted to search the market to select the job training 
that is right for them.
     Lack of quality information. Good choices call for 
reliable data about what jobs are available, what skills they require, 
and which training institutions offer the best value and performance. 
But, the current system too often does not provide this type of 
information to individual job seekers and employers.
     Weak strategies. Confronted with splintered and 
disorganized programs, States and local communities have found it 
challenging to devise effective strategies for deploying Federal 
resources, or for effectively integrating Federal efforts with one 
another and with their own resources. As a result, the private sector 
has questioned the value of the system.
     Absence of strong accountability. The quality of training 
and related services is highly uneven. Institutions can continue to get 
Federal funds regardless of performance. Too often, rewards are not 
targeted to the best programs.
    By integrating numerous Federal education, training and employment 
programs into a comprehensive, streamlined system, the Workforce 
Investment Act strives to overcome these and other shortcomings of the 
nation's job training system.

Principles

    The Workforce Investment Act gives American workers the chance to 
equip themselves with the skills and information needed to compete in 
the new economy, and helps workers take responsibility for building a 
better future for themselves and their families. To accomplish the 
goals of the new legislation, the new workforce investment system will 
be built around several key principles:
     Streamlining services. Multiple employment and training 
programs will be integrated at the ``street level'' through the One-
Stop delivery system. By building on One-Stop implementation efforts 
already underway in the vast majority of States, this integrated system 
will simplify and expand access to services for job seekers and 
employers.
     Empowering individuals. Individuals will be empowered to 
obtain the services and skills they need to enhance their employment 
opportunities. This empowerment will be accomplished through Individual 
Training Accounts which will enable eligible participants to choose the

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qualified training program that best meets their needs. The development 
of ``consumer reports'' containing information for each training 
provider will allow individuals to make informed training choices.
     Universal access. Through the One-Stop system, every 
individual will have access to core employment-related services. 
Customers can obtain job search assistance as well as labor market 
information about job vacancies, the skills needed for occupations in 
demand, wages paid, and other relevant employment trends in the local, 
regional and national economy.
     Increased accountability. States, localities and training 
providers will be held accountable for their performance. The Act 
identifies core indicators of performance--including job placement 
rates, earnings, retention in employment, skill gains, and credentials 
earned--that States and local areas would have to meet. Failure to meet 
the performance goals will lead to sanctions, while exceeding the 
levels could lead to the receipt of incentive funds. Training providers 
will have to meet performance goals to remain eligible to receive funds 
under the Act.
     Strong role for local boards and the private sector. Local 
boards will become business-led ``Boards of Directors'' for the local 
areas. By relieving them from ``nitty-gritty'' operational details, the 
Act ensures they will be able to focus on strategic planning, policy 
development and oversight of the local system.
     State and local flexibility. States and localities will 
have exceptional flexibility to build on existing reforms in order to 
implement innovative and comprehensive workforce investment systems. 
Through such mechanisms as unified planning, waivers, and Work-Flex--as 
well as through the Act's grandfathering provisions which allow States 
to continue innovative practices--States and their local partners have 
the flexibility to tailor delivery systems to meet the particular needs 
of individual communities.
     Improved youth programs. Youth programs will be linked 
more closely to local labor market needs and the community as a whole, 
and will provide a strong connection between academic and occupational 
learning. In addition, traditional employment and training services 
will be augmented by an array of youth development activities. The 
establishment of a youth council in every local area will raise the 
visibility of youth programs and facilitate coordination and strategic 
design. The Act also authorizes Youth Opportunity Grants that are 
designed to provide funding to increase job opportunities for youth in 
high poverty areas. In addition, the Act reforms the Job Corps program 
by strengthening linkages among Job Corps centers, the State workforce 
investment systems, the local communities in which they are located, 
and employers.
    A fundamental reform of Federal programs and policies based on 
these principles will permit communities and States to craft a 
workforce investment system that respects individual choices, reflects 
local conditions, and delivers results.

Goals

    Through the establishment of comprehensive State and local 
workforce investment systems that are constructed around the basic 
principles described above, the Act strives to increase the employment, 
retention, and earnings of participants, and increase occupational 
skills attainment by participants. In achieving these goals, the new 
system will also:
    1. Improve the quality of the workforce. Finding workers to sustain 
America's economic growth is becoming one of the most crucial concerns 
of business owners and managers across the United States. Changing job 
requirements and the resulting demand for new skills, the desire for 
reliable worker credentials, and shifting company and industry 
structures mean continuing intense demand for high-quality services 
that enable workers to meet the needs of the labor market. The Act was 
developed with the recognition that, as the 21st century approaches, we 
have to develop training opportunities that respond to market needs and 
provide consumer choices.
    2. Enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation. The 
world of work is continuously changing. Economic progress greatly 
benefits many American workers and American businesses, but it poses 
important challenges as well. New technologies, changes in 
international trade, deregulation, and greater competition have led to 
structural changes in the U.S. labor markets. Research suggests that 
rapid technological progress, fierce competition, further integration 
of the U.S. economy with other economies, and significant demographic 
changes will continue. This Act will create a system that can quickly 
respond to such changes, and that is intended to efficiently prepare 
workers to meet the needs of the labor market, provide key labor market 
information, and help provide businesses with the resources to remain 
competitive. An integrated, highly accountable workforce investment 
system is critical if American workers and businesses are to keep pace 
in this rapidly changing economic environment.
    3. Reduce welfare dependency. Working with the hardest to serve is 
a major challenge in welfare reform despite reduced caseloads. This Act 
aims to reduce welfare dependency and provide the tools to do so 
through the One-Stop system that includes the Welfare-to-Work program, 
and is able to integrate TANF and other programs that serve the welfare 
customer--in order to invest in the employment and job retention of the 
hardest to serve. In areas where adult funding is limited, welfare 
recipients and other low wage individuals will receive priority for 
intensive and training services. Collaboration between the workforce 
investment and welfare systems is important for several reasons. Both 
systems now focus on helping clients become employed. In addition, the 
two systems serve many of the same customers. Common customers also 
include employers who hire clients of the two systems. Finally, given 
scarce resources, strong collaboration will ensure that efforts are not 
duplicated.

Fundamental Change in Service Delivery

    This bill is tailored to meet the local needs of both workers and 
business for years to come. It will help all Americans who want to take 
advantage of the new high paying jobs that our economy is creating. It 
will provide business with the skilled employees they need to compete 
in the global high-tech economy. Above all it will make sure that as 
our economy moves into the 21st century, our job training system does 
too.
Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman
July 31, 1998.

One-Stop Service Delivery

    The cornerstone of the new workforce investment system is One-Stop 
service delivery which will unify numerous training, education and 
employment programs into a single, customer-friendly system. The 
underlying notion of ``One-Stop'' is the integration of programs, 
services and governance structures. The Employment Service plays a 
critical role in One-Stop service delivery as the primary job finding 
source, especially for unemployment insurance (UI) claimants. It 
provides quality information to the public about jobs, the dynamics of 
the labor market, available training and education opportunities, and 
the links to other public and private services.

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    It is envisioned that each State could use common intake and case 
management systems in order to take full advantage of the One-Stops' 
potential for efficiency and effectiveness. A wide range of services 
from multiple training and employment programs will be available to 
meet the needs of a variety of customers--employers and job seekers. In 
addition, these local One-Stop centers will be places where all 
Americans can access high quality local information on available jobs, 
skill requirements, and training provider performance.
    The Act requires the establishment of a One-Stop system in each 
local area. The local board, in collaboration with the local elected 
official, is responsible for overseeing the One-Stop system in their 
local area. While the Act establishes certain minimum requirements for 
the structure of the local system, it allows local communities 
significant flexibility in the design and implementation of their One-
Stop systems.
    Each local One-Stop system will be comprised of numerous partners 
that will provide core services through the One-Stop system. It is 
envisioned that every local system will represent true collaboration 
between all of the One-Stop partners. Partners will provide such 
services in a way that is consistent with their authorizing 
legislation.

Required Partners

     Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities.
     Employment Service.
     Adult Education.
     Postsecondary Vocational Education.
     Vocational Rehabilitation.
     Welfare-to-Work.
     Title V of the Older Americans Act.
     Trade Adjustment Assistance.
     NAFTA Transitional Adjustment Assistance.
     Veterans Employment and Training Programs.
     Community Services Block Grant.
     Employment and training activities carried out by the U.S. 
Department of Housing and Urban Development.
     Unemployment Insurance.
    The Act specifies several Federal programs and activities that are 
required to participate in each local One-Stop system. The local area 
may also include other appropriate Federal, State or local programs--as 
well as private sector initiatives--as partners in the One-Stop system. 
Ultimately, a local community could have dozens of designated partners 
in their system.
    Each One-Stop partner is required to enter into a Memorandum of 
Understanding (MOU) with the local board. The MOU will describe: (1) 
the services to be provided through the One-Stop system; (2) how the 
costs of the services and the operating costs of the system will be 
funded; (3) methods of referral of individuals between the One-Stop 
Operator and the One-Stop partners; (4) the duration of the MOU; and 
(5) the procedures for amending the MOU. The MOU may also be used to 
address such other issues as the parties determine are appropriate. 
One-Stop partners also are required members of the local board --in 
order to provide them with an integral role in policy development and 
overall system evaluation
    A One-Stop operator will be designated to manage the day-to-day 
functioning of the local One-Stop system. One-Stop operators may be 
designated or certified through a competitive process or in accordance 
with an agreement reached between the local board and a consortium of 
entities that, at a minimum, includes three or more of the mandatory 
One-Stop partners. A wide range of organizations and entities--such as 
postsecondary educational institutions, local Employment Service 
offices, community-based organizations, private for-profit entities, or 
government agencies--are eligible to be designated or certified as a 
One-Stop operators. However, a local board may only be designated or 
certified as a One-Stop operator with the agreement of the chief local 
elected official and the Governor.
    Each local area is required to have at least one physical ``full 
service'' center at which customers can access services from each of 
the One-Stop partners. This comprehensive center can be augmented by 
additional ``full service'' centers and through a network of affiliated 
sites, or a network of One-Stop partners that can consist of physical 
sites or electronic access points.
    Regardless of the design that a local area chooses, it must be 
based on a ``no wrong door'' approach which will assure customers that 
information all of the core services will be available regardless of 
where the individuals initially enter the system. This means it does 
not matter whether an individual enters the system as a UI claimant or 
as a job seeker seeking information through the Employment Service--in 
either case, he or she will have access to the full range of services 
available through the local system.
    Adults and Dislocated Workers--A Continuum of Services. It is 
envisioned that One-Stop centers will offer a wide spectrum of 
services--ranging from self-service activities such as using a computer 
to get information from America's Job Bank, to intensive staff-assisted 
services such as group counseling, and include access to training and 
other services for which the individual may be eligible. While this 
range of services is to be made available, the levels to be offered are 
not prescribed in the Act. Individuals with special needs--for example, 
persons with disabilities, non-English speaking persons, or those who 
lack computer skills--will be accommodated so that they can access all 
services offered for which they are eligible.
    There are separate funding streams for adults and dislocated 
workers. For both, the Act provides for three levels of services: core 
services; intensive services; and training. These levels of services 
are to be accessed sequentially--that is the more extensive levels of 
services are provided when the individual is unable to obtain 
employment with the more basic services.
    In the new system, ``placement'' no longer needs to be immediately 
followed by ``termination.'' This will result in a shift from short-
term ``episodic'' fixes to a system where individuals can access 
information and services continuously throughout their lifetime. This 
focus will provide new opportunities for low-wage workers to benefit 
from the workforce investment system. For example, former welfare 
recipients who are placed in a job through the Welfare-to-Work 
initiative will be able to remain in the workforce investment system 
and continue to obtain the information and services they need in order 
to progress through the labor market.
    Core Services. In the new workforce investment system, all 
Americans will see the One-Stop Centers as a community resource they 
can use throughout their lifetime to enhance their job skills as they 
move up the career ladder--rather than just a place to go in times of a 
crisis, such as when they lose their jobs. Previously, only Wagner-
Peyser funds could be used to provide labor market information and 
labor exchange services for any employer or job seeker without regard 
to specific program eligibility. This Act expands the concept of 
universal access to all core services provided through the One-Stop 
Centers. By integrating the services offered through multiple programs 
and using available technology, the One-Stop system will be able to 
offer customers--job seekers and employers--a choice of any or all core 
services and information. The combination of Wagner-Peyser funds, funds 
from the Workforce Investment

[[Page 63378]]

Act, and funds from other One-Stop partners should result in a dramatic 
expansion of accessability to core services.

Core Services

     Determination of eligibility of services.
     Outreach, intake (which may include worker profiling), and 
orientation to the One-Stop system.
     Initial assessment.
     Job search and placement assistance, and career 
counseling.
     Provision of labor market information.
     Provision of information on:
     Eligible training providers;
     Local performance outcomes;
     One-stop activities;
     Filing claims for Unemployment Insurance;
     Supportive services.
     Assistance in establishing eligibility for Welfare-to-Work 
and financial aid assistance.
     Follow-up service.
    Consistent with the MOU and the legal requirements applicable to 
each One-Stop partner, the core services in the centers and One-Stop 
system may be provided by the partners, the operator, or through other 
arrangements. Local boards cannot directly provide core services unless 
the chief local elected official and the Governor agree to allow the 
board to provide such services.
    It is important to note that the Employment Service has been and 
will continue to be an essential component of any One-Stop system. The 
Act requires that all basic Wagner-Peyser-funded labor exchange 
services be provided as part of the One-Stop system. Similarly, the 
One-Stop system is intended to maintain close linkages to the 
unemployment insurance system. In addition to providing information on 
filing for UI as a core service, the system would also be the provider 
of reemployment services to UI claimants who are ``profiled'' as 
needing these services to become reemployed. The UI program may be co-
located in the centers, the centers may be a source for filing 
telephone claims for UI assistance, or other arrangements may be made. 
Finally, through the Employment Service component of the One-Stop, the 
system will continue to assist the UI program in verifying that UI 
claimants are actively seeking employment.
    Intensive Services. Intensive services may be provided to adults 
and dislocated workers who are unemployed and are unable to obtain 
employment through core services, if the One-Stop operator determines 
that the individual is in need of more intensive services in order to 
obtain employment. Adults and dislocated workers who are employed, but 
who are determined by the One-Stop operator to be in need of intensive 
services in order to obtain or retain employment that allows for self-
sufficiency are also eligible to receive intensive services.

Intensive Services

     Comprehensive and specialized assessments of skill levels 
(i.e. diagnostic testing);
     Development of an individual employment plan;
     Group counseling;
     Individual counseling and career planning;
     Case management;
     Short-term prevocational services.
    Intensive services may be provided by One-Stop operators or through 
contracts with service providers, including contracts with public, 
private for-profit and private nonprofit service providers, approved by 
the local board. Local boards cannot directly provide intensive 
services unless the chief local elected official and the Governor agree 
to allow the board to provide such services. If the local board and the 
Governor determine that there is a shortage of adult funds in the local 
area, they will direct the One-Stop operator to give priority in the 
use of these funds for intensive services to welfare recipients and 
other low-income individuals.
    Training Services. Individuals who have met the eligibility 
requirements for intensive services, and are unable to obtain or retain 
employment through intensive services may receive training services. 
Through the One-Stop system, these individuals will be evaluated to 
determine whether or not they are in need of training and if they 
possess the skills and qualifications needed to participate 
successfully in the training program in which they express an interest. 
Training services must be directly linked to occupations that are in 
demand in the local area, or in another area to which the individual 
receiving services is willing to relocate. As with intensive services, 
in areas where the local board and the Governor determine that adult 
funds are limited, welfare recipients and other low-income individuals 
shall receive priority in the use of such funds for training services.
    The underlying principle of the provision of training services 
under the Act is customer choice. One-Stop centers will provide access 
to consumer information relating to training providers that can assist 
individuals in gaining relevant skills--including information on the 
performance of such providers in placing graduates in employment. 
Through local boards, each State will compile a list of eligible 
training providers that meet performance levels as set by the Governor, 
and adjusted upward, as appropriate, by local boards. Individuals may 
choose any provider from the list of approved providers, whether or not 
the provider is located in the local area where the individual resides. 
In addition, States may enter into agreements on a reciprocal basis 
which allow individuals to access training in another State.
    The Act creates a market-based system for training services, and 
will provide ``a level-playing field'' for a wide array of providers--
large and small, public and private. Those who provide training 
services under the Act will have to meet the test private businesses 
face every day. They will have to deliver value to their customers, or 
risk losing them. With individuals making their choices based on past 
performance, ineffective training providers will not survive.
    With limited exceptions, training services will be provided through 
the use of Individual Training Accounts (ITAs). States and local boards 
will determine how to structure the ITA system in their local areas. 
For example, an ITA could take a variety of forms such as a voucher, 
credit, debit card, or even a repository for training funds from other 
programs. In addition, the law does not prescribe a limit on the amount 
that may be provided to assist an individual in obtaining training, but 
does not preclude a State or locality from establishing such limits.
    Training services may be provided through a contract for services 
instead of an ITA only if: (1) such services are on-the-job training 
provided by an employer or customized training; (2) the local board 
determines there are an insufficient number of eligible providers of 
training services in the local area (such as rural areas) to accomplish 
the purposes of the ITA system; or (3) the local board determines that 
there is a training program of demonstrated effectiveness offered in 
the local area by a community-based organization or another private 
organization to serve special participant populations that face 
multiple barriers to employment (e.g. individuals with substantial 
language or cultural barriers, offenders, homeless individuals, or 
other hard-to-serve populations as determined by the Governor). Local 
boards may not directly provide training services unless they receive a 
waiver from the Governor. Since the intent of the Act is to reform the 
local service delivery system, and to move away from the

[[Page 63379]]

current practice of contracting for blocks of services, and then 
finding participants to fill them--these exceptions are meant to be 
limited.
    Youth Programs. Through the reform of the current youth training 
system and the Job Corps program, and the authorization of the Youth 
Opportunity Area initiative, the Act provides a variety of activities 
that will prepare youth for academic and employment success. The youth 
programs authorized under this Act are designed to create youth systems 
that are closely linked to the labor market and are designed to provide 
participants with a comprehensive set of service strategies.
    Formula Youth Program. Through the combination of the Year-Round 
Youth Training funding stream and the Summer Youth Employment Program 
funding stream into a single youth funding stream, local areas will 
have greater discretion in determining how to allocate resources to 
serve youth. The new single youth program fuses youth development 
activities (i.e. leadership growth opportunities such as community 
service) with traditional employment and training activities. It is 
based upon several key elements: integrated academic and vocational 
education; integrated work-based and classroom-based instruction; 
effective connections to intermediaries with strong links to the job 
market and employers; and intensive private-sector involvement.
    A Youth Council will be established as a subgroup of the local 
board in each local area and will include representatives of: youth 
service agencies; parents; public housing authorities; Job Corps; 
former youth program participants; and other appropriate individuals. 
The Youth Council will be responsible for developing portions of the 
local plan relating to youth, recommending the providers of youth 
activities to be awarded grants by the local board, conducting 
oversight of these providers, and coordinating youth activities in the 
local area. The creation of these councils will be an unprecedented 
opportunity for a broad range of entities to play an integral role in 
the development and oversight of the youth development and training 
system, and facilitate the enhanced coordination of youth services. 
Youth services are to be delivered by entities that are competitively 
awarded a grant or contract by the local board to provide such 
services. Such entities may or may not be the same as those providing 
services under the One-Stop system in the local area. Each local area 
can determine the extent to which they want to integrate youth services 
with the adult and dislocated worker delivery system based in the One-
Stop. It is envisioned that States and localities would make 
connections to the adult system through relationships with the private 
sector and higher education institutions, and through their streamlined 
administrative structure.
    In order to be eligible for services, a youth must be ages 14-21, 
low income, and meet at least one of the six specified barriers to 
employment. Five percent of the youth served in a local area may be 
non-low-income if they experience one or more specified barriers to 
school completion or employment. In addition, in an attempt to focus 
resources on those most in need, thirty percent of funds in each local 
area must be expended on out-of-school youth. Youth that do not meet 
the eligibility requirements must be referred to the One-Stop or 
another appropriate program for further assessment in order to meet the 
basic skills and training needs of the individual.

Eligible Youth--Barriers to Employment

     Basic skills deficient;
     A school dropout;
     Homeless, a runaway, or a foster child;
     Pregnant or a parent;
     An offender;
     An individual who requires additional assistance to 
complete an educational program, or to secure and hold employment.
    The new law requires an individual assessment of skill levels and 
service needs and the development of a service strategy for each youth 
participant. The Act also outlines the required elements of the youth 
program. These elements are to include such activities as: tutoring, 
study skills training and instruction; alternative secondary school 
services; summer employment opportunities; paid and unpaid work 
experiences; occupational skill training; leadership development 
activities; supportive services; adult mentoring; and comprehensive 
guidance and counseling. An emphasis is placed on longer-term service 
through the provision of adult mentoring both during and after 
participation, for a total of not less than one year, and follow up 
services for not less than one year after the completion of 
participation. In addition, each participant must be provided 
information on the full array of appropriate services that are 
available through the local One-Stop system.
    Youth Opportunity Grants The Act authorizes the Youth Opportunity 
Grants initiative to direct resources to Empowerment Zones, Enterprise 
Communities, and other high-poverty areas, to provide comprehensive 
services designed to increase employment and school completion rates of 
youth. Through a national competitive grant process, the initiative 
will provide employment and training services to all disadvantaged 
youth in high-poverty areas for an extended period to change the 
culture of joblessness and high unemployment. Local boards will be the 
recipients of these grants, thus ensuring a strong linkage between 
these targeted investments and the formula youth program. The funds 
provided are to be used for the youth activities required under the 
formula program, and youth development activities such as leadership 
development, community service, and recreation activities. In addition, 
the program must provide intensive placement services and follow-up 
services for not less than two years after a youth has completed 
participation in other activities.
    Job Corps The Act contains several changes designed to strengthen 
the Job Corps program and to ensure that it functions as an integral 
part of the workforce investment system. The new provisions will ensure 
strong linkages among Job Corps centers, State workforce investment 
systems, employers, and local communities. It also assures that 
applicants are assigned to centers nearest to their homes.
    Due to the size and scope of the Job Corps investment, the Act 
holds the program and individual Job Corps centers accountable to 
additional requirements. The Act identifies core indicators of 
performance including vocational completion and placement rates of 
students, earnings and retention in employment. It also requires the 
provision of continued services to graduates for one year after 
completion of the program.
    The Act requires Job Corps centers to have a business and community 
liaison and an industry council to enhance cooperation with business. 
These requirements ensure connections between local labor markets and 
Job Corps centers, that the vocational training offered is relevant to 
labor market needs, and that participants learn occupational skills 
that are in demand in their home communities.

National Programs

    Native Americans. Grants to support employment and training 
activities for Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian individuals 
are authorized in order: (1) to develop more fully the academic, 
occupational, and literacy

[[Page 63380]]

skills of such individuals; (2) to make such individuals more 
competitive in the workforce; and (3) to promote the economic and 
social development of Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian 
communities in accordance with the goals and values of these 
communities. Provisions are similar to those contained in the Job 
Training Partnership Act. The Native American Employment and Training 
Council is retained to provide the Secretary of Labor with advice on 
program operations and administration. In addition, authority was added 
allowing the Secretary to waive statutory or regulatory requirements of 
this program (other than labor standards) pursuant to a request from a 
grantee.
    Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers. Similar to provisions in the Job 
Training Partnership Act, grants to support migrant and seasonal 
farmworkers and their dependents are authorized to: (1) strengthen the 
ability of the eligible individuals to obtain or retain unsubsidized 
employment or stabilize their unsubsidized employment; and (2) provide 
supportive services and related assistance. The Act adds specific 
eligibility criteria for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. In addition, 
funds are specifically earmarked for migrant youth activities.
    Veterans. The Act retains the current law veterans' employment 
program (JTPA title IV-C) and expands the eligibility for the program 
to include, in addition to veterans with service-connected disabilities 
and recently separated veterans, veterans who have significant barriers 
to employment and veterans who served on active duty in the armed 
forces during a war or in which a campaign badge has been authorized 
(e.g. the Persian Gulf War).

National Activities

    The Act requires the Secretary to conduct a wide variety of 
national activities. Every two years the Secretary must publish a plan 
that describes the national activity priorities for the next five-
years. This plan, which will be published in the Federal Register and 
shared with Congress, will ensure that investments are planned in a 
strategic manner. The Act also requires the Secretary to conduct a 
study on improving the formulas for allocating funds contained in Act.

National Activities

     Technical Assistance.
     Dislocated Worker Technical Assistance.
     Pilot, Demonstration, Multiservice, Multistate and 
Research projects.
     Dislocated Worker Pilot, Demonstration, Multiservice, 
Multistate and Research projects.
     Evaluation.
     National Emergency Grants.
    Through this broad range of authorized activities, the Department 
will develop and implement techniques and approaches, and demonstrate 
the effectiveness of specialized methods, of addressing employment and 
training needs of individuals. Funds will also be used to evaluate the 
impact of workforce investment activities. In a change from current 
law, most awards are subject to competitive requirements, matching 
requirements, peer review, and time limits. These provisions will 
ensure the continued integrity of these investments.

Holding States and Localities Responsible for Results

    Consistent with the performance-based approach provided in the 
Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), the Department is 
placing a special emphasis on the area of program performance. This 
includes a focus on: outcomes rather than inputs; results rather than 
process; and continuous improvement rather than management control. The 
performance provisions contained in the Act reflect this emphasis, and 
provide increased flexibility in service delivery in exchange for 
increased accountability for results. Through these provisions, the Act 
strives to establish a comprehensive performance accountability system 
in order to optimize the return on investment of Federal funds in State 
and local workforce investment activities. This accountability system 
will assess the effectiveness of States and local areas in achieving 
positive results as well as the continuous improvement of their 
workforce investment systems.
    Core Indicators of Performance. The Act establishes core indicators 
of performance for all adult, dislocated worker, and youth programs to 
be applied to States as well as local areas. The core indicators of 
performance for adult and dislocated worker activities (except for 
self-service and informational activities) and for youth participants 
age 19-21 include:
    1. Entry into unsubsidized employment;
    2. Retention in unsubsidized employment 6 months after entry into 
employment;
    3. Earnings received in unsubsidized employment 6 months after 
entry into the employment; and
    4. Attainment of a recognized credential relating to achievement of 
educational or occupational skills for individuals who enter 
employment. (For youth age 19-21, educational and skill attainment is 
measured for all individuals who enter postsecondary education, 
advanced training, or employment.)
    The core indicators of performance for youth age 14-18 include:
    1. Attainment of basic skills and, as appropriate, work readiness 
or occupational skills;
    2. Attainment of secondary school diplomas and their recognized 
equivalents; and
    3. Placement and retention in postsecondary education or advanced 
training, or placement and retention in military service, or 
employment--including qualified apprenticeship.
    In addition, a customer satisfaction indicator must be established 
that measures employers' and participants' satisfaction with the 
services received under this Act. The inclusion of a customer 
satisfaction indicator is important because securing employment is not 
the sole concern when job-seekers enter the workforce investment 
system. Customers are also concerned with their access to quality 
information, their treatment by program staff, and their access to 
services--in short, how well they feel that the system met their needs. 
Recent research suggests that satisfaction with these other aspects of 
a system are important to individuals whether or not they find a stable 
job as a result of a training program or other service.
    States also have the ability to identify additional indicators of 
performance, and must report annually on a number of other indicators 
specified in the Act, including employment, retention and earnings (12 
months after entry into employment) and performance information on 
specific population groups.
    Negotiated Levels of Performance. For each core indicator, and the 
customer satisfaction indicator, the State will negotiate its expected 
levels of performance for the State as a whole with the Secretary. 
These levels must be included in the State Workforce Investment Plan 
and the negotiation must be completed before a State receives any funds 
under the Act. Several factors are to be taken into account in this 
negotiation process: (1) the extent to which the levels will assist the 
State in attaining a high level of customer satisfaction; (2) how the 
levels compare with the levels for other States--taking into account 
differences in economic conditions, characteristics of participants, 
and the services to be provided; and (3) the extent to which

[[Page 63381]]

the levels promote continuous improvement in performance and ensure 
optimal return on the investment of Federal funds.
    The State will carry out a similar negotiation with the local areas 
within their State--taking into account specific economic, demographic 
and other characteristics of the areas--to establish their expected 
levels of performance for each core indicator.
    Incentives, Sanctions and Technical Assistance: In an effort to 
drive positive results and continuous improvement, the Act contains 
strong ties between performance and funding. If a State fails to meet 
its expected levels of performance in any year, it can request 
technical assistance from the Department of Labor. If a State continues 
to fail to meet its agreed-upon performance levels for a second year--
or if a State fails to report its performance information in any year--
its funding can be reduced by up to five percent. If a State exceeds 
its expected levels of performance--as well as its levels of 
performance under Adult Education and Vocational Education--it will 
receive an incentive grant which must be used to finance innovative 
workforce investment projects within the State. The linking of 
performance for these three programs--workforce investment, adult 
education, and vocational education--illustrates the importance of 
collaboration of those systems.

New Roles and Flexibility

    Partnerships at all levels--local, State and Federal--and across 
the system is the hallmark of the new workforce investment system. All 
levels will be required to coordinate and collaborate with agencies and 
entities that have not been a part of the ``traditional'' workforce 
development system. The incorporation of programs and activities 
administered by agencies other than the Department of Labor into the 
One-Stop system will require enhanced coordination between Labor, 
Education, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Health and 
Human Services, and Agriculture--and will require these entities to 
develop collaborative strategies for service delivery and work towards 
common goals. In addition, it is envisioned that business, labor 
organizations, community organizations, school, and other interested 
entities will be fully involved in the design and quality assurance of 
the new system. Dialogue with customers, partners, stakeholders, and 
Congress will be ongoing and consistent--at every level, and between 
levels.
    Accountability and responsibility for outcomes at all levels of the 
system will exist, with each level having unique and integral roles and 
responsibilities. This will result in high quality, effective services 
for customers.
    Local: In the new system, the local level remains key for policy 
and administrative decisions. It is where customers access services and 
where the design for the new One-Stop system and the consumer-driven 
training system will be implemented. Local Workforce Investment Boards 
will have important roles in the new system. Some of these roles 
include the development of a 5-year local plan, the identification of 
eligible providers of training services, and coordination of activities 
across programs. Through the local plan, the operation of the workforce 
investment system can be tailored to meet local needs.
    The chief local elected officials continue to have a central role 
in the administration of workforce investment activities. Specifically, 
the chief local elected official:
     Appoints the members of the local board, which is 
responsible for establishing workforce investment policies in the local 
area;
     Develops, in collaboration with the local board, the local 
workforce investment plan, which specifies the types of services that 
will be provided, such as summer youth employment and training;
     Serves, or designates an entity to serve, as the grant 
recipient for job training funds provided under the Act, which includes 
the responsibility for receiving and disbursing formula grant funds;
     Works with the local board to conduct oversight of the 
One-Stop customer service system in the local area, designates and 
certifies One-Stop operators, appoints One-Stop partners (i.e., 
participating programs) and develops and approves the memoranda of 
understanding under which the One-Stop system will be administered; and
     Works with the local board to negotiate with the Governor 
the performance levels that will be applicable to local areas and that 
could result in incentive funds or sanctions.
    Additionally, representatives of chief elected officials are 
members of the State board that develops the State plan and carries out 
other statewide activities.
    State: The Act includes numerous features designed to provide 
States with increased flexibility in designing and implementing 
workforce investment systems. It also prescribes new roles for 
Governors. For example, the Workforce Investment Act:
     Eliminates mandatory set-asides for education coordination 
grants and older worker programs, and combines the year-round and 
summer youth programs into a single funding stream--resulting in far 
fewer funding constraints.
     Requires that each State establish a business-led State 
Workforce Investment Board, consisting of the Governor and appointees 
of the Governor representing business, education, labor, local elected 
officials and others, to develop a comprehensive 5-year strategic State 
plan for all workforce investment activities, and monitor the operation 
of the workforce investment system.
     Allows Governors to submit a single ``unified'' State plan 
covering numerous Federal education, training and employment programs. 
This provision also includes a requirement for joint planning and 
coordination through which the entities responsible for planning or 
administering such programs will review and comment on all components 
of the plan.
     Allows, through the inclusion of grandfathering 
provisions, features of State laws enacted prior to December 31, 1997 
relating to designation of service areas and sanctioning of local areas 
for poor performance that are inconsistent with the Act. In addition, 
all States may retain their existing State councils and local boards 
created under JTPA if they substantially meet the requirements of the 
Act and were in existence on December 31, 1997.
     Assures that States retain any existing waivers that they 
have received from the Department of Labor and codifies the Secretary 
of Labor's waiver authority that previously only existed in annual 
Appropriations language. In addition, the Act expands eligibility for 
``Work-Flex'' to all States--flexibility that is currently limited to a 
six State demonstration.
     Increases, significantly, the Governor's flexibility in 
using State reserve funds to finance activities that are State 
priorities. Under the Act, the State reserves fifteen percent from each 
of the three funding streams and may merge those funds and use them for 
an array of workforce investment activities--including incumbent worker 
projects.
     Provides the Governor with a significant new role in 
developing performance measures. They will have an important new 
opportunity to affect the measures that will be used to evaluate the 
effectiveness of the workforce investment system in their State.

[[Page 63382]]

    State Workforce Investment Boards will also play an important role 
in the design and implementation of State systems. For example, the 
Board will assist the Governor to develop a 5-year strategic plan, 
continuously improve the system, designate local workforce investment 
areas, develop State performance measures, and develop allocation 
formulas.
    Federal: The Federal role also is changing. The Federal role in the 
new workforce investment system will be one of a leader and an 
enabler--with a focus on ensuring overall accountability for results 
rather than adherence to administrative process. The Federal role can 
be separated into the following areas that range from the most ``hands-
on'' activities, to facilitating progress, to the administrative and 
support functions needed in this new system:
     Strategic planning and policy formulation which defines 
and focuses the direction of the public system.
     Performance accountability to ensure that States and 
localities meet program performance requirements and provide the 
highest level of service to customers.
     Knowledge development which provides important research 
and evaluation findings to the workforce investment system to 
facilitate better ways of delivering workforce investment-related 
activities.
     Technical assistance which provides expert assistance to 
State and local partners and other stakeholders.
     Administration and oversight to ensure financial 
accountability of programs and compliance with legal requirements.
     Prototype information systems which design and support 
national information and communication needs.

Transition Efforts

    The Department is in the process of organizing for the transition 
to the new workforce investment system. An implementation task force 
has been appointed, and a number of workgroups have been established to 
focus on a wide variety of transition issues. The following workgroups 
have been established: (1) Policy Development; (2) Performance 
Accountability; (3) Outreach and Communications; (4) Administration and 
Close-Out; (5) Program Services; and (6) Technical Assistance.
    Although States are not required to fully implement all of the 
requirements of the Act until July 1, 2000--the Department encourages 
States that are ready to implement early, beginning July 1, 1999. In 
order to enable States to implement beginning in July of 1999--the 
Department intends to work quickly to develop planning guidance. The 
Department intends to publish interim final regulations in the Federal 
Register by early February 1999.
    The Department recognizes that flexibility is key to implementing 
the legislation. The Act is not the status quo; and a ``do it this 
way'' approach dictated by the Federal government will not work. States 
and local areas must be able to work in partnership to address the 
needs of workers and employers by designing systems that make sense for 
local labor markets and produce results. We can help as a partner, but 
the most important linkages will be ones forged at State and local 
levels.
    Consultation Process. The transition can only be enhanced by 
tapping into established networks to draw on the broadest possible 
participation and contribution to the planning, implementation and 
follow up of the Workforce Investment Act by the organizations and 
people who will be the ones to make it happen. The Department of Labor 
is taking an all inclusive approach to engaging the system in the 
implementation of the Act. A variety of strategies will be used to 
ensure continuous, two-way communication between the Federal, State, 
and local partners, stakeholders, and other interested organizations 
and individuals.
    Information will be openly shared throughout the planning and 
implementation process. Input will be sought on a continuous basis to 
ensure that this process is truly a collaborative one. Various meetings 
of workforce investment partners, customers, and other stakeholders 
will be used as an arena to share current information on proposed 
implementation policies/strategies as well as seek input from the 
system. In addition, various roundtables and policy forums will be held 
in each of the Department's ten regions to facilitate and encourage a 
continuous face-to-face dialogue throughout the planning and 
implementation process.
    A workforce investment website (http://usworkforce.org) has been 
established to provide a vehicle for continuous, ongoing 
communications. The website is intended to function as an open forum 
for dialogue between federal, state, local partners, stakeholders and 
other interested individuals and organizations. This website will 
enable implementation plans to be shared as they are developed, 
questions to be raised, issues to be surfaced, and solutions to be 
proposed. A question and answer system is being developed to provide a 
medium through which the Department can respond to questions raised by 
State and local partners and individual stakeholders. Once answers are 
developed, they will be posted promptly on the website. Hard copies of 
questions and answers will be prepared and distributed to the system on 
a periodic basis.
    Regulations. The Department intends to publish interim final 
regulations by early February 1999, with final regulations scheduled to 
be issued by the end of 1999. The Department has developed a set of 
principles to guide the regulations writing process. These principles 
include:
     Customer First. The first consideration in writing 
regulations will be to consider how they may impact on service to the 
customers--participants and employers.
     Consistency. The regulations will be internally 
consistent, in terms of the message, tone, length and quality, and 
written in a style that conveys information in a manner that is easy to 
read and understand.
     Input on Key Issues. Input will be sought from the 
workforce investment community as a whole through various media and 
through individual workgroups, as appropriate, on issues which need to 
be addressed in regulations before and during regulation writing.
     Minimal Regulations. Regulations will be prepared only 
when:--clarifications are needed to implement legislative provisions;--
explanations on how the agency intends to interpret the Act are 
necessary;--specific issues are not addressed in the legislation 
requiring a rule to fill gaps in the legislation; and--policy guidance 
would be insufficient to allow grantees to ensure that critical 
provisions are implemented.
     Flexibility. All regulations will permit the maximum 
flexibility to customers as well as State and local governments in 
terms of service and implementation of legislative provisions.
     Administrative Feasibility. Regulations will be written in 
a manner which permits persons at State and local levels to use them 
under a variety of circumstances.
    Technical Assistance: By early 1999, a comprehensive technical 
assistance strategy will be in place. It is envisioned that the 
technical assistance effort will focus on three areas: (1) Assisting 
States and localities in closing-out the JTPA system; (2) assisting 
``early implementers''-- States that will begin operating under the Act 
in 1999; and (3) assisting States that will not begin

[[Page 63383]]

implementing the new requirements until the year 2000.

Initial Implementation Timeline

    The Department intends to meet the following timeline for the 
implementation of the new system:

Begin Consultations on Planning/Program/Policy Guidance, September 1998
Regions and States Identify Closeout Issues, October 1998
Publish Planning Guidance, November 1998
Publish Interim Final Regulations, February 1, 1999
Early States Submit Plans, April 1, 1999
Early State Implementation and Operation, July 1, 1999
Publish Final Regulations, December 31, 1999
All States Implementing Workforce Investment Act, July 1, 2000

    For Further Information Contact: Workforce Investment Act 
Implementation Taskforce Office, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 
Constitution Ave. NW, Room S5513, Washington, D.C. 20210, Telephone: 
(202) 219-0316 (voice), 1-800-326-2577 (TDD), Fax: (202) 219-0323, E-
mail: [email protected], Website: http://usworkforce.org.

[FR Doc. 98-30228 Filed 11-10-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-P