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NASWA released its 2008 Annual Report (click here), which provides information on NASWA's mission, organization, goals, activities, and accomplishments during the past year. The Annual Report contains an informative appendix describing the Workforce Investment Act and the allocation of appropriations for major workforce programs. Under the leadership of Past-President Larry Temple, the Association achieved the following during his tenure in 2007-2008:

Job Central: Expanded Job Central's National Labor Exchange (NLX), the successor to America's Job Bank, to 46 states and the District of Columbia.

Grants to States: Successfully secured $110 million in supplemental appropriations to help states cope with rising levels of unemployment claims for fiscal year 2008 and helped eliminate a severe "funding gap" in fiscal year 2009.

State Consortia: Spearheaded enactment of appropriations language allowing states to share costs for unemployment insurance information technology consortia projects.

Workforce Funding: Preserved funding for the Wagner-Peyser program and helped defeat efforts to cut Workforce Investment Act funding by 14 percent.

Conferences: Hosted conferences on unemployment insurance, information technology, labor market information as well as NASWA's Annual Conference in September and the Winter Policy Legislative Conference in February. UI Cost-Savings: Successfully secured a change in the definition of a "paying state," which will save states millions of dollars by reducing inappropriate unemployment insurance claims.

Administrative Funding for State Unemployment Insurance Programs: Provided compelling evidence demonstrating the underfunding of unemployment insurance administrative funding for states.

For state workforce agency administrators and their employees, this is a document to have as a reference to take full advantage of your Association. If you need further information about a committee, workgroup, conference, or project that can help you find solutions to your problems, please contact NASWA's Executive Director, Rich Hobbie at rhobbie@naswa.org.