Today, Thanksgiving Day, most of us will take a brief moment to pause to reflect upon and to be thankful for important things like freedom, food security, places to call home and jobs. The harsh reality is that many people in the U.S. lack these basic needs today.
READ MORE from Looking to Help People This Thanksgiving? Be an Advocate for Change!
As President Obama and Congressional leaders meet for the first time tomorrow to begin negotiations about avoiding the fiscal cliff — the combination of spending cuts and tax increases that will go into effect in 2013 if Congress does not act to avert them — Goodwill Industries International is monitoring the developments to see how key workforce programs and other services that support people we serve fare in the proposed solutions.
READ MORE from All Eyes on Washington as Fiscal Cliff Negotiations Begin
With the election behind us, Beltway insiders are spending the week trying to understand what happened, why, and how it will shape the legislative landscape. This year, despite the expenditure of about $1 billion and a lot of talk about voter dissatisfaction, the post-election landscape looks pretty much as it did before election night. So what does this all mean for Goodwill?
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More Americans are going back to school, and more students than ever are qualifying for Pell Grants, the primary federal grant program that provides funding for low- and moderate-income students. As Goodwill® works to help the people it serves to not only find jobs, but to advance in careers, Pell Grants are becoming increasingly important to our efforts.
READ MORE from Goodwill® Leverages Pell Grants to Help People Advance in Careers
On October 29, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could dramatically alter the way Goodwill® stores across the United States handle the resale of donated copyrighted materials. The case, Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is on appeal from the 2nd Circuit Court and will highlight the conflict between the First-Sale Doctrine and U.S. copyright laws as they relate to imported goods.
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The question of the evening during the debate last Tuesday, as often times is the case, came not from a senior citizen wise with experience or a veteran who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan. It came from one of the youngest people in the audience to ask a question that night, 24-year-old Pre-K teacher Katherine Fenton, who asked about women in the workforce.
READ MORE from Debate Question Sparks National Conversation about Women in the Workforce
Are you suffering from election fatigue? I’m a total policy wonk but living in a swing state with a heated Senate race means even I’m afraid to answer my phone, turn on the radio and television, or open my mailbox. We’re still four weeks out from Election Day and believe it or not, legislators can still get things done during the lame duck session, which is why it’s important that Goodwill® advocates remain engaged.
READ MORE from Lame Duck Session Critical for Job Training, Education Programs
We’ve all heard plenty about the one percent, and now politicians and the media are discussing the 47 percent, but do you know who the 80 percent are? That’s the approximate percentage of people with disabilities who aren’t in the labor force.
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With Election Day only weeks away and having just passed a temporary spending measure that averted a government shutdown from occurring at the end of this week, most members of Congress are on the campaign trail convincing voters like you to give them their vote. Goodwill faces more immediate questions about whether policymakers will come together to avoid deep automatic spending cuts scheduled for early January and how vital domestic services and programs will be impacted.
READ MORE from While Election Looms, Bipartisan Efforts Still Needed to Avoid the Fiscal Cliff
On September 13, the House of Representatives passed a six-month extension of government funding that carries federal funding for FY 2013 through next March 27. The funding measure, approved by a vote of 329-91, includes a 0.6 percent increase in funding for most federal programs. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure this week.
READ MORE from Fiscal Issues Are Congress' September Priority
On September 13, the House of Representatives passed a six-month extension of government funding that carries federal funding for FY 2013 through next March 27. The funding measure, approved by a vote of 329-91, includes a 0.6 percent increase in funding for most federal programs. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure this week.
READ MORE from Fiscal Issues Are Congress’ September Priority
While deficit reduction will require belt-tightening measures, Goodwill believes that investments are also needed in integrated strategies that build upon and leverage existing resources that aim to help put people back to work and attain the skills employers need to compete.
