The award was presented by Jayme Trusty, NADO board member and Executive Director of the Southwest Regional Development Commission (Slayton, MN).  “Senator Klobuchar has been a fierce advocate for economic development and job creation, including making the public investments needed to support vital industries in our state, such as agriculture, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy,” Jayme said. “She has displayed an unwavering commitment to providing new economic opportunities for our nation’s local communities, including small urban and rural regions of Minnesota, and understands that federal programs, such as the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) play a vital role in providing the seed capital or gap financing that is often necessary to spark new private investments in rural areas.”

Jayme continued, “Along with Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, she is the primary author of S. 625, a bill to ensure local elected officials and local communities are given a stronger voice in the investment of federal transportation resources.  She understands that transportation is an essential building block for economic development.”

To view a copy of the entire press release, click here.

The award was presented by Greg Eisenhut, Executive Director of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, Inc., (Mohawk, NY) during the association’s Washington Policy Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

“Representative Hanna is a fierce advocate for economic development and job creation, including making the public investments needed to support vital industries in our state,” said Greg. “He has an unwavering commitment to providing new economic opportunities for our nation’s local communities, including in New York’s 24^th district, and understands that federal programs like EDA play a vital role in providing the seed capital or gap financing that is often necessary to spark new private investments in distressed areas.”

Greg continued, “As Vice Chairman of the House T&I Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, Representative Hanna ensured that the House transportation reauthorization bill strengthens the role of local elected officials in working with state DOT officials on transportation planning issues. He understands that the transportation planning process is the gateway for accessing federal surface transportation resources and it is essential for all local communities and their local elected officials to have a stronger voice with our state DOT colleagues.”

To view a copy of the entire press release, click here.

For more information on the forum, click here.  To view the NADO presentation, click here.

• H.R. 2295, the “Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2011,” introduced by Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA):  This measure would increase flexibility in the services offered to job seekers and aims to eliminate barriers that prevent workers from immediately accessing training.  Text of the legislation can be found here.
• H.R. 3610, the “Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act,” introduced by the Chair of the Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, Virginia Foxx (R-NC):  This measure would consolidate 33 of the 47 job training programs identified in a 2011 report by the Government Accountability Office on duplicative government programs.  A summary of the “Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act” can be found here and the text of the legislation can be found here.
• H.R. 3611, the “Local Job Opportunities and Business Success (Local JOBS) Act,” introduced by Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV):  This measure would require two-thirds of Workforce Investment Board (WIB) members come from the business community, remove the mandatory partners from the boards, and require local WIBs to designate a specific amount of their funding for training.  A summary of the “Local JOBS Act” can be found here and the text of the legislation can be found here.

McKinney outlined several noteworthy regional programs such as the COGs Local Energy Assurance Project, Waste Reduction Partners program, forest product businesses initiative, regional brownfields redevelopment, and workforce development.

To view the NADO presentation click here.

In conformance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, OMB invites comments on the proposed information collection for the Water and Waste Loan and Grant Program in order to ascertain: (a) whether the information collection is necessary for the property performance of the agency; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents.

Written comments must be submitted by August 31.  Additional information is available here.

Separately, this year’s Community Challenge grants may be used for a number of efforts which promote sustainability at the local and neighborhood levels, such as amending or replacing master plans, zoning and building codes to promote mixed-use development, building affordable housing, or rehabilitating older buildings.  $3 million of Community Challenge funds will be set aside for jurisdictions with populations less than 50,000.  Pre-applications for the Regional Planning Grants are due by August 25, and applications for the Community Challenge Planning Grants are due September 9.  Additional information concerning these grant opportunities is available here.

Legislation extending surface transportation programs will likely be introduced when the Congress returns after Labor Day.  The current extension (P.L. 112-5) expires on September 30, 2011.