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Mayors Labor For Workforce Aid
by Maureen Sirhal
At their 70th annual meeting last week in Madison, Wis., the U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted several resolutions asking Congress to reauthorize federal programs ranging from technical training initiatives to the funding of universal telecommunications service.
The conference adopted two resolutions on job training and workforce investment. Specifically, the mayors called on Congress to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act by Sept. 30, 2003. The law allocates funding for localities to create training centers for workers seeking to upgrade their technical skills. Noting that local officials are better prepared to tailor the programs to the workforce needs of their regions, the group requested more funding under the act.
Additionally, the group adopted a resolution opposing efforts by the Bush administration to redirect training-grant fees raised through the H-1B visa program for technology professionals and other skilled workers from foreign countries. Bush made that proposal as part of his fiscal 2003 budget.
"Eliminating the H-1B program will do away with an important job-training program that strengthens America's own workforce, and lessens dependency on foreign workers," the resolution stated.
The conference also addressed several telecommunications matters, urging Congress to reserve 24 megahertz of spectrum in the 700-MHz band for local public-safety uses. The group also asked that federal agencies and departments shift funds to subsidize state and local costs of upgrading emergency networks to promote interoperable communications.
South Dakota Schools Get Technology Grants
South Dakota Gov. William Janklow announced last week that the state's six public universities will receive grants to help integrate technology into the classrooms.
The $2 million grants from the Advanced Faculty Awards for Teaching with Technology program will go to 120 faculty members at the schools. One set of grants seeks to increase the focus on technology in some courses; the other will be used to bolster tools in the classroom.
"This year's grant applications were among the best we've seen," Janklow said in a statement. "Faculty members on our state campuses are finding exciting and creative ways to use technology to enhance learning."
Black Hills State University, Dakota State University, Northern State University, the School of Mines and Technology, South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota will receive the nine-month awards. The grants are part of the Governor's Faculty Awards, which started in 1998 and have provided $7.5 million to more than 300 professors.
Janklow praised the program and said it will serve as a foundation to train future teachers in leading technologies, and therefore enhance elementary and secondary education. "We are training elementary and secondary teachers and equipping K-12 schools to be leaders in using technology in the classroom," he said. "With our university faculty grants, we also support the instructors of our future K-12 teachers to be innovative in their own use of technology in the classroom."
California's E-Gambling Bill Dies Again
A California proposal to ban online gambling has died for the third year in a row. The state Senate Governmental Organization Committee did not consider the bill, A.B. 1229. Heavy lobbying by an Indian gambling group helped sway opposition to the measure, despite broad support from law enforcement groups and other gambling interests, such as the horseracing industry.
In other California news, Gov. Gray Davis has appointed Karen Jordan Cator as a member of the Commission on Technology in Learning, an advisory committee that aims to develop an educational technology strategy for the state. Cator is a veteran of educational technology issues and serves as senior manager of education leadership initiatives for Apple Computers. Previously, she worked in the Juneau School District of Alaska, where she served as the technology coordinator and managed the district's technology policies and implementation. Her new appointment does not require Senate confirmation.
Davis also signed into law a bill, S.B. 2061, designed to protect "privileged communications." The law states that such communications do not lose their privileged status simply because they are transmitted electronically.
And across the country in New Jersey, Gov. James McGreevy recently signed into law a bill updating anti-terrorism provisions in the state's criminal code. The law adds terrorism to the list of crimes for which law enforcement groups may seek a wiretap.
Oklahoman To Head Attorney Generals Group
Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson will serve as the new president of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) for 2002-2003, the organization announced this week at its 2002 summer meeting.
Edmondson said he plans to make health care a major priority for his tenure and already has scheduled "listening conferences" for Sept. 26-28 in Kansas City, Kan., Feb. 20-22, 2003, in San Diego, and May 15-17, 2003, in Baltimore.
"I want attorneys general to look closely at many areas of health policy to ensure that the people of their states are fully informed of their rights," Edmondson said. "Attorneys general can work with consumers and lawmakers to make sure current laws are adequate in meeting the needs of patients and families facing these difficult situations. Our role may be more educational than enforcement."
NAAG also announced that California Attorney General Bill Lockyer would serve as president-elect, Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell as vice president and Kansas Attorney General Carla Stovall as immediate past president.
The association named Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal as the 2002 winner of its most prestigious award --- the Kelley-Wyman Award, bestowed upon the attorney general who "has done the most to achieve the objectives of the National Association of Attorneys General."
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